Quintessential Queen Bee
by MorganWritesALot
Summary: Chloe Bourgeois is Paris' newest hero. With the assistance of Pollen, watch this as this jerk slowly turns her life around and becomes a hero people can be proud of. Cover image /kuragechan
1. Wordsmith

A happy family walks into the alleyway. The city lights silhouette them as they walk. "That movie was super cool, dad!" a young boy says.

"See? I told you The Mark of Zorro was good, Bruce. Your mother and I are just glad to spend time with you, aren't we, Dear?"

"Yes Honey, we..." Her words die in her throat as she sees a dark figure come come out of the shadows. The shine of the gun reflects off of the light of the city. The woman, Martha, grabs her son, and pulls him close.

"Let's start with the woman's pearls," the man says, pointing the gun at scared woman.

"It's going to be alright, Bruce," the woman says to her son.

"Yeah, Bruce, everything is going to be fine," says a unseen feminine voice. The gunman and the family turn around in search of the mysterious voice. What they found was pretty odd, a blond woman in a yellow and black onesie wearing a domino mask crouched on a stack of crates with her hands out ready to pounce. The odd crouching woman leapt from a pair stack of wooden crates towards the family striking a heroic pose. "Fear not citizens, for I shall save you, the Quaint Queen Bee!"

"What? You're real? I thought they were full of shi..." whatever he was going to say was cut off when the young woman uppercutted the man.

"T- Thank you miss," the man says, rushing over to shake her hand.

"Don't mention it, just tell the cops when you see them that you were saved by the Quaint Queen Bee," the girl says with a thoughtful look on her face. "Actually, tell them you were saved by the Queen Bee. I'm still working on the adjective for me. It's really unfair how few adjectives start with Q."

With that done, the girl leaps from the alley to the top of the building. She began to swing from roof to roof. The people below hear a shout of pure joy, "being a superhero rules, woohoo!"

* * *

Making her way through the halls of College Françoise Dupont , Chloe Bourgeois was walking alongside her friend Sabrina.

"I didn't hear from you last night. Did everything turn out alright?" asked the mousy redhead.

"Tck. Everything was fine. I just enjoyed swinging around doing my thing last night," she said flicking her ponytail behind her. "I totally set a new high score last night, six people saved and a family of three all in 2 hours."

"Wow, that's amazing, Chloe. You're getting really good at this."

Chloe smiled to herself as she took in her friend's praise until her mood darkened. "Yeah, but no matter where I go or how long I stay out for I still can't bump into Ladybug or Chat Noir," she huffed. "Your plan for me to find them isn't working."

"I - I'm sorry Chloe. I thought that since superheroes patrol their cities, you were bound to run into them eventually."

"Ugh. Stop your sniveling. I might not have met Ladybug yet, but I'm sure once she hears about all the good I'm doing she'll want to team up together. I just need to get my name out there," she said, as the two walked into their class.

"Well, are you going to go to be free tomorrow?" she asked.

"No, Daddy had an important charity gala and needs me to be a prop for him. We're celebrating all the good work firefighters do." Chloe walked past her desk to a dark-skinned girl talking to another girl. "Hey Alya, you're the local superhero blogger right?"

"Chloe? Why would you care about the Ladyblog?" she asked.

"Oh, no reason in particular," she said, looking down at her nails feigning innocence. "It's just that I heard that there's a new superhero fighting crime in Paris and I thought you might've heard of her. Queen Bee, ring any bells for you?"

"I haven't heard a thing about a new hero showing up," the girl said.

"B-b-but she's been fighting crime for weeks now. She's saved dozens of people," she pled. How could she not have heard about all her good deeds?

"Sorry Chloe, but I've never heard of her. Hey Marinette, have you heard of Queen Bee?" she asked the girl sitting next to her.

"Queen Bee? Nope, I haven't heard of her," the dark haired girl replied. "How do you know about her?"

"Uhh well, I'm a huge fan of Ladybug and superheroes in general. Anyone who's a fan knows who Queen Bee is. I guess I shouldn't have expected a loser like you to know who she is, anyway."

"Well sorry, but next time don't start a conversation with someone and insult them for not knowing about some nobody superhero."

Chloe fumed as the arrogant cow insulted her. "Humph. Whatever, come on Sabrina. Let's take our seats, class is about to start," she said as she stormed off.

* * *

The mayor's residence was exceptional. Decadence flowed from the tops of the three layer chandelier to the plush velvet carpet. Servers moved quickly replacing dishes and bringing new ones, as Chloe and her father ate.

"Chloe dear, what's wrong? You look upset. What's the matter?" he asked.

"No, Daddy, everything's fine," she said as she played with her food. She paused, and with a bit of hesitation, she asked, "hey dad, you've heard of Queen Bee, right?"

"Why of course! As mayor I get a report about all superhero activity every day," he said with an air of pride in his voice.

"Really? That's great! Then, you know all about Queen Bee?" she said. Finally! I should've known Daddy would know all about the good I've been doing. "So what do you think about them?"

"Well, I myself like that Chat Noir boy. He reminds me a lot of an old superhero I read about. And Ladybug is an inspiration to all. Judging by the costume you bought, I'm guessing you're a fan of her too, dear."

"Yeah of course, they're awesome, but what do you think of Queen Bee?" Chloe said, getting more and more anxious.

"Oh well, Queen Bee isn't a hero, dear." he said matter-of-factually.

Shock struck Chloe's mind. "What? How could you say that?" she said as she leapt from her chair. "Queen Bee is single handedly cleaning up the northside of Paris. You can actually walk in St. Augustine at night without being mugged because of her."

"Chloe, settle down," he said, trying to calm his daughter. "I know from the outside what she does might seem heroic, but when you look into it, she's making things worse. I know that St. Augustine and Trenes were bad areas, but there's a reason why police don't lock up every crook in those neighborhoods. If they did, criminals would move out of those places and would cause trouble somewhere else. So we allow for crime to run mostly unchecked in those areas so that rest of Paris can live in peace. All they have to do is avoid those areas, and everything is fine. However, now that Queen Bee has gone and launched her one-man war on crime, all of Paris is being hit with a massive crime wave. If you want, there was a fascinating article written in today's paper about it." He held up the newspaper in question.

"Excuse me, father, I'm going to my room," Chloe said, making her way to her room, with the newspaper in hand. Chloe landed face first in her bed and groaned into her mattress.

A small bee-like creature flew toward her. "What's the matter, my Queen?" it said.

"Life's so unfair, Pollen. I've been fighting crime for six weeks, and almost nobody knows about who I am, and the only people who do know think I'm making thing worse," she said.

"Everything is going to turn out fine. Are you ready for your lesson today, your majesty?"

"Ugh, can't we skip your lesson of the day just once? I've done forty-two of them," Chloe said turning onto her back.

"Firstly, nice math. Secondly, you know the rules. Every Miraculous holder has to fulfill their side of the contract or they lose their power," Pollen said, lying directly to her master's face.

"This sucks. I wonder what Ladybug and Chat Noir have to put up with. Fine, let's get this over with."

"Today's lesson is about shame," Pollen said in her teacher voice.

"Shame? Well that's easy. I'm not ashamed of anything. I've never been more proud of myself," she said with a pleased look on her face.

"Shame isn't born from the absence of pride, but from its presence. Your majesty, you've spent all this time building up being Queen Bee that anyone tearing you down is going to hurt you much more than it should. I implore you to remember it's not all about you."

"Are we done?" Chloe asked.

"Do you have a lesson you've learned today, my queen?" the bee creature asked. A part of Pollen wondered just how much of her lessons flew in one ear and out the other with this girl.

"Yeah, people are selfish ingrates who don't care about the hard work others do for them," Chloe said.

"I know you were just taking out your frustrations with not being seen as a hero, so I will allow that passive-aggressive remark to count as a lesson," Pollen said.

"Thanks, but I think I need to go on the offensive for once," Chloe said.

Pollen watched as her master went to her computer and began to type away. "What are you doing?"

"Research."

* * *

A tall, dark skinned woman exited her work and walked down the busy Paris streets. "Jessica Moore?" a voice behind her said. Before she had a chance to respond she was whisked into the air. Jessica shrieked as she watched the ground grow further and further away from her. She didn't stop her shrieking until they landed on a roof.

Jessica collapsed and started to breathe heavily. "Queen Bee?" the woman gasped between breaths.

"Hi... Umm... I am Queen Bee, and I would like to have a word with you," Chloe said.

"Don't kill me! It's one article. I have a cat and if-"

"Wow wow wow, ease up. I'm not here to kill you; I'm here to talk to you," she said, offering the woman her hand. "I'd give you my handkerchief, but I didn't think you'd start crying."

"Really? I guess you've read the article," she said.

"No, I just like grabbing random people of the street for no good reason," she said while inspecting her nails.

"So? Um... What do you want to talk about?" Jessica said.

"Oh you know, boys, the weather, and why you don't like superheroes," she said as she began to pace around the scared woman.

"I - I don't hate superheroes," she said as she kept turning to keep Chloe in her sight.

"Oh really," Chloe said as she walked behind the woman and grabbed a newspaper from the floor. "Then explain this garbage."

"My article isn't about how I hate superheroes, it's about how you're causing more harm than good," she said. The switch in the conversation to her article seemed to awaken a passion in her eye. "I like Ladybug and Chat Noir, but you're just causing trouble."

"Come on, you can't be seriously blaming a crime wave on me how do we even know if it's my fault?" she said. "For all we know it could be something totally unrelated."

"You only read the first paragraph of the article," the woman said with a deadpan expression.

"Well how could I? This article makes me look like a total screw-up," she said, tossing the paper at her.

"If you had, you would've seen the annotations to the other articles I wrote," she said. "Over the past three weeks I've been tracking the local gang activity and turf wars. When I noticed the gangs that normally hang around St. Augustine were moving out quickly, I called a few contacts to see why and they all blame you for it. By cleaning up the streets you've caused criminals to flee to other places, thus unintentionally causing an uptick in crime."

"What about Ladybug and Chat Noir? They fight crime and you don't report about crimewaves they cause," she said.

"Again, this was covered in the article," she said. "Firstly, those two mostly fight supervillains."

"Okay, you can't blame me for there not being enough psychos to go around. Plus, I've tried to help them but by the time I get there, they've already handled the situation."

"Secondly, when they don't fight supervillains they're rescuing people from accidents. From the data I've gathered over the few months that those two have been active they haven't caused a spike in crime," she said.

"Well, can you cut me some slack! I didn't mean to cause trouble," she said. How was she supposed to know that fighting crime would cause an increase in it? "I mean, I've been doing a lot of good... can't you report on that? I mean, I have brought down the crime in one neighborhood."

"Sorry kid, it's a journalist's job to report the truth, and as long as you are causing trouble I have to report on it."

Chloe straightened her back as she walked towards the edge. "Well, fine then. I hope you enjoy getting down from here," she said, as she leapt off the rooftop and began to swing away.

* * *

 **Queen Bee Attacks Journalist**

"If I had known you were going to confront the reporter like that, I would have stopped you," Pollen said as she sat on her dollhouse furniture, eating her breakfast.

"She deserved it," Chloe grumbled.

"You know that by the end of the day you'll understand why I said 'I told you so,'" Pollen muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chloe said, glaring at the bug.

"This is going to blow up in your face," she said, playing with her nectar-covered toast.

"Whatever. The limo is waiting! Let's go before we're late," she said as she grabbed her bag from the floor.

* * *

Jessica looked down at her article. Had her first front page story been worth angering a superhero?

"You know this could have serious consequences for not just you but the whole paper," a man said startling the young woman.

Taking a moment to compose herself Jessica said."I know, but she's a threat to public safety."

"Yes, and you've gone and pointed a target on your back after she came at you once, he said rubbing the side of his head. No doubt a headache about to start. "God, why did I let you talk me into running that story."

Jessica sighed. "Well we can't take it back now the paper is already printed. Everything is going to be alright right?" she asked hoping for some positivity.

"Sure as long as the person can take criticism well, isn't known for lashing out at their detractor, and hasn't had a history of violence. Good luck getting home tonight, kid," the man said chuckling to himself.

* * *

"Mademoiselle, your father will be expecting you at the Gala at six-thirty tonight," Jean-Luc said from the doorway.

"Yes, yes, is the dress I ordered here yet?" she said, while getting fussed over by her hair and makeup people.

"Yes, mademoiselle, Monsieur Agreste has truly outdone himself."

Chloe took a moment to look herself over with her small hand mirror before turning to her servants. "Good, now place the dress on the rack and leave." Once the servants left, Chloe got up from her seat and walked over to the dress. While it wasn't yellow, the cyan dress still was a work of art.

Pollen flew out of her dollhouse with a phone in tow. "Get ready to come up with an excuse to leave early, I have a feeling like you're going to be fighting your first akumatized victim tonight," Pollen said.

"You're overreacting! Everything is going to be fine," Chloe said as she finished putting on her dress. "So, how do I look?"

"Great, as always," she said, giving her master a strained smile. "Call me a pessimist, but I'll keep watching my phone for any akuma attacks."

"Whatever. Have fun in the car tonight," she said, watching her kwami enter her purse.

* * *

A man in a dark suit and a silver mask entered a dark room filled with butterflies. He stood in the middle of the room searching for negative emotions. "Ah, fear, paranoia, and dread! What wonderful emotions!" he said. He reached out as a white butterfly flew into his palm. Dark energy flowed into the butterfly turning it from white to purple. The man release the butterfly as it flew through out the city to an office building to a nervous woman looking over her article. The butterfly entered the woman's newspaper as a voice rang through her head. **"You've poked a sleeping bear and now you don't know when she'll come for her revenge. My name is Hawk Moth, take this akuma and defeat your tormentor. All I ask in return is for Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses.**

* * *

The gala was held at a recital hall in downtown. The entire place was so gaudy. The hall was filled with terrible drawings of firefighters helping their community with no real rhyme or reason for their placement. They somehow managed to place a firetruck on the lawn, obscuring the great view of the city. The room was filled with men and women in cheap suits and dresses. Their jewelry was only worth a couple hundred euro.

Chloe stood next to her father as guests arrived, most of whom worked for the Parisian fire department or the fire department charity. They greeted their guests throughout most of the night. The fake smiling was starting to hurt her cheeks and her back was killing her from standing so long. Chloe was about five seconds away from asking for a break when a certain boy came to the front of the line.

"Chloe? Is that you?" Adrien said. The young man was dressed in one of his father's suits. Though he was still young, he cut a rather impressive figure.

All the pain in her cheeks, back and feet faded as he approached and the smile Chloe had been faking for the better part of an hour softened into a more genuine one. Chloe rushed over and gave him a hug. "Oh Adri-kins, I had no idea you were going to be here!"

"My father is the is the biggest backer for this charity. Didn't you know?" he said, breaking free of her hug.

"Oh forgive me, Adrien, my boy, I must have completely forgotten to mention that to Chloe," the Mayor said, trying his best to feign ignorance. "Speaking of Chloe, it seems like she could use a break. Would you mind keeping my daughter company for a little bit."

"Sure thing," Adrien said, offering his hand to Chloe. The two walked away not before Chloe could mouth a quick thank-you to her father.

"So, your father donates to this charity?" she said, as they made their way over to drinks table.

"Yeah, he's really busy so he asked me to come and give a speech tonight."

"Don't worry! You'll kill this speech, I'm sure of it," she said, nudging him in the arm. The two laughed as an awkward pause settled in.

Adrien looked at her as she looked at him, neither really knowing what to say. "Ah... you look nice in that dress," he blurted out.

"Thanks, your dad made it. You look nice in that suit. Let me guess... your dad made it?" she said bluntly.

"Yeah, he can make me a suit, but he can't come to this dinner," he said bitterly, looking away from her.

"Hey now, no pouting! I'd rather have you here then your dad anytime of day. Plus, responsibility looks good on you, just like about everything else, Mister Agreste," she said, managing to coax a smile out of him.

The two began to walk the room talking to random passersby. "Yeah, I guess we're both having to take on more responsibility. How was playing hostess for the evening?"

"Ask me tomorrow when I get out of these heels. My feet are killing me," she whined half-playfully, half-earnestly.

"Would you like to rest? I could get you another drink. I'm sure your dad put us next to one another for the seating arrangements," he said.

A devious smile spread across her face as Chloe lead Adrien to the dance floor. "Sure, but first I want to grab a quick - damn it," she said, as Pollen's ringtone played. "Excuse me a moment, I need to take this."

Looking down at her phone, she saw a text: Chloe, a villain is attacking, you have to go. The city needs you, the reporter you scared is calling out Queen Bee.

Chloe grimaced. She looked to Adrien, the text, and then back to Adrien. Chloe sighed and put the phone away. "Where were we?" she asked, as new text rang out, one after the other.

"Do you need to get that?" he asked, as her phone kept ringing.

"No, just let me turn this off," she said, reaching into her purse to turn off her phone. Just as she was about to, she saw what her kwami was telling her.

The city needs you.

This is your moment.

What would Ladybug do?

Chloe winced, turning back to Adrien. "Sorry Adrien, I have to go to the bathroom. I'll meet you at the table," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Okay, Chloe, all you have to do is sneak out of here, she thought to herself. Making her way to the bathroom, Chloe looked around for a window. She saw an open one at the top of the wall. Come on Chloe, you can do this! Ladybug would do it. Chloe took off her shoes and climbed onto the dirty bathroom sink. She quickly tossed one of her shoes out the window as the door to the bathroom opened to reveal an overweight, red-haired woman.

The woman saw her on the counter clutching a shoe in her hand, looking like a deer in headlights.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds as an awkward pause filled the room. "Leave," she hissed to the woman. As soon as the bathroom door was closed she tossed her other shoe out the window and leapt up to the window. She grabbed onto the ledge with her hands and used her bare feet to scurry out the window.

Chloe looked down at the hard pavement below where her shoes were and scrunched up her face before taking the plunge. Chloe managed to flip in the middle of the air and land on her feet; the shock from the landing coursed through her entire body. She gingerly put on her shoes and went looking for her kawmi.

* * *

Jessica, now calling herself the Wordsmith, looked like a harpy made of newspapers. She was going on and on about her being terrorized or some other nonsense as she flew around her office building.

"Listen to me, citizens of Paris! I come to you with dire news! A superhero calling herself Queen Bee has been ruining Paris. Any and all dissent against the mad queen is met with swift retribution. Yesterday I published a news article about how she's causing a crime wave, and she attacked me for it! I have no doubt the fiend is on her way to silence me here!. However tonight I'm not so powerless. For you see... ahhh!"

Whatever the Wordsmith was going to say was cut off when she was pulled by the leg to the ground. "Will you cut it out with the cheesy dialogue! What's up with you people? It's like once you get akumatized, you think it's time to ham it up as much as possible. Or does Hawk Moth just have a thing for the overly dramatic?" Queen Bee said. Turning to the crowd below she added, "Don't worry folks the - oh, damnit - Queenly Queen Bee will handle this."

"I won't live in fear of you anymore, Queen Bee! You can't silence your critics!" Wordsmith said. Her pages around her leg flew away and reassembled free of their binding.

"Fear? I've known you were alive for 24 hours! I take it back! Hawk Moth's not the drama queen, you are." Queen Bee let out her frustrations while dodging Wordsmith's attacks. Think, Chloe! Staying on the defensive isn't going to work. I have to go on the offensive.

"You want to fight? Let's fight! Give it your best shot." The two began a back and forth with one trying to hit the other without being hit themself. Queen Bee's top kept Wordsmith's attacks at bay, but Wordsmith was too far away to be lassoed again.

This isn't working. I need to get her in close. She's afraid of me, so she isn't going to come in close unless she's got a chance of hitting me... but my top scares her away. Chloe retracted her spinning top and put it back on her belt. She got into a boxing stance and gave her the biggest, smuggest grin she could manage.

The two went back to their earlier game of chicken. Each time Wordsmith would try hit Bee with her pages, Queen Bee would dodge at the last moment, with every flyby getting closer to hitting her. Queen Bee began to pant as her movements were getting less and less graceful. She had given up leaping out of the way after the first few strikes, and instead begun to bob and weave for her life.

"Ha. Is that all you've got? I-I thought you were a hero! " Wordsmith said, while coming up from her latest pass.

 **"Good, good Wordsmith, you have her right where you want her. Show the world the coward she really is!"** Hawk Moth telepathically voiced his approval.

"Oh, I'm just getting started," Queen Bee said, panting on the ground.

Wordsmith dove down once again, ready to land the finishing blow. She came down ready to end this when at the last moment, Queen Bee yelled " **Venom!** ", activating her special attack. Queen Bee's fist started to glow, and Wordsmith was unable to get out of the way fast enough before Queen Bee stung her.

Wordsmith fell to the ground, her face in the gravel. "Ha! You thought a loser like you had me on the ropes! I was faking it the whole time. You're so much of a coward that the only way to win is to get you to come in close, so I could counter with my venom sting." Queen Bee began to walk towards her downed enemy, a haughty look on her face. "I wonder... after I beat you, do you think you'll be forced to write a retraction? I mean, after all, I did save your life."

Chloe began to give the prone woman a once-over, trying to spot where the akuma was. With no real idea which sheet of paper held the thing, she leaned down ready to start ripping through every single page. "You really couldn't make this easy for me, could you?" she mumbled.

As Chloe began to pick a sheet to start with she was tackled to the ground as Wordsmith started to hit her with her wings. "Ah! How are you still moving? You should be paralyzed."

"Oh, I am, or rather that page is. It's going to take a lot more stings to stop me?"

Shocked, Chloe managed to kick Wordsmith off of her and stumble to her feet. Taking out her top, she began to swing away.

 **"After her, Wordsmith! She's used her power! Once she's used it she will transform back into civilian form after a few minutes."** Hawk Moth said.

Crap. Crap. Crap. I'm such an idiot. I saw that she was able to manipulate individual papers and didn't realize that my venom would be useless. Think Chloe, all you have to do is beat a villain before you transform back and without your one unique superpower. And on top of that, you need to find the akumatized page that is hidden among several other pages. All you need to do is hit her with an attack that's so fast, so powerful, that has such an area of effect that it destroys the akumatized page in less then five minutes, she thought to herself. I've got it!

"What's the matter, not going to fight me with your power running low?" Wordsmith mocked.

Queen Bee kept swinging from telephone pole to telephone pole. She ran as Wordsmith kept trying to tackle her from the side.

Wordsmith managed to hit her, tossing her onto a nearby roof. "Y - you know for a superhero, you aren't that good at the whole hero thing. I've never seen Ladybug run from a fight."

Queen Bee kept running for her life. She leapt high into the sky as Wordsmith chased after her. "I wasn't running away from you, I was running toward something else." As Wordsmith tried to hit her, Queen Bee lassoed her again and pulled her to the ground. As the two crashed to the ground, Queen Bee got to her feet.

Bee sprinted over towards the firetruck on the front lawn of the gala. "Hey, guess what? Tomorrow's headline is Queen Bee Takes Down Her First Supervillain ." She said, as she let loose the hose at full pressure and watched as the pages began to be torn away from her. A purple butterfly flew away as she killed the water to the hose.

Queen Bee approached the soaked woman. "Hey, so can we talk?"

"What? You? How did I get here?" the woman said, spitting up water.

"You were akumatized until I freed you. Pretty messed up, huh? Look, do you want to make up and be friends?" Queen Bee said, offering the woman her hand.

"Friends? With you?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, I mean we could totally be friends. I could save the day, and you could write all about it," she said, giving the older woman a huge grin.

"No, you idiot. You hit me, soaked me with water, and left me stuck on a roof for hours. I'm never going to be your friend. I swear, I won't stop writing about you until all of Paris hates you!" the woman yelled.

"Yeah, well..." whatever she was about to say was cut off by the sound of her Miraculous about to power down. "I'm not going to hurt you for your stupid articles, so you don't need to become a weird bird monster," she said, rather hurriedly, as she leapt away from the soaked woman.

Chloe's transformation ended as soon as she rounded the corner of the gala hall. "Ugh. That sucked. Now I've got an archenemy I can't punch."

"That's life my queen, some days you're going to lose more than you gain," Pollen said, flying beside her. "I'm heading back to the car."

"Wait," Chloe said, before the bee kwami flew away. "I've got my lesson of the day."

"Oh? I was planning on letting you off the hook for a lesson today because of how busy it's been, but if you've got a lesson for me, go ahead," Pollen said, looking rather surprised that her queen actually had a lesson ready without being prompted.

"Today I learned that I shouldn't brag while fighting and I should wait until after I've kicked their butts," she said, looking rather pleased with herself.

Really... that's the lesson you learned? Pollen thought. Take the win Pollen, at least it's a lesson in humility. "Well done, my queen. Now, hurry back to your party," she said, forcing a smile to her face.

"The party? Adrien! Crap! I left him alone!" she cried, running off towards the entrance. Chloe made her way back inside, nearly bumping into her father. "Oof. Sorry Daddy, I had to get some air. Have you seen Adrien?"

"Adrien? I'm sorry my dear, the chief of police called me away. There was an akuma attack. I'm sure he's around here somewhere," he said, giving his daughter a gentle squeeze.

* * *

"Well done, Adrien, your speech was very gracious. I'm sure your father will be pleased," Nathalie said, walking three steps behind him in the large, empty house.

"Thanks. I'm going to retire for the night. Have a good night," he said, as he walked into his room, exhausted after the long night. "Ugh. That night lasted way too long."

"At least you don't have school tomorrow," a tiny black cat creature said, making his way over to his cheese.

"Yeah, but I've got a huge project ahead of me. Who the heck was that girl?" he said.

Plagg grinned at his master. "All I can tell you is that it's the Bee Miraculous holder, and that she probably calls herself Queen Bee."

Adrien looked up at his kwami. "Thanks, I thought I was going to have to spend all day researching, but that helps a lot," he said.

"Really? All I gave you was a name," he said, looking rather surprised with his master.

"Yeah, I mean... I know she's a good guy because she fought that supervillain, and she's got a lot of skills to handle that on her own. I'm fine with that much. It's about as much as I know about Ladybug after all," he said staring up at his ceiling. "Queen Bee, huh?"

* * *

"Marinette, there's a man here for you," Marinette's mother called out.

Marinette made her way down to find an elderly man waiting for her. "Hello, Miss Dupain-Cheng, there's a matter I'd like to discuss with you."

"I'll take my leave," her mother said, leaving the two alone.

When her mother left, Marinette looked to the man and asked "Can I help you?"

"Yes, or rather... Ladybug can," he said. Before she could lie to him, he raised his hand to silence her. "It's alright. I know your secret. I was the one who gave you the Miraculous in the first place. In fact, you can come out now, Tikki." As if on cue, the Ladybug-looking kwami came out of her pocket.

"Master Fu, it's great to see you! I missed you." she said, giving the old man a polite bow.

"As have I. Unfortunately the reason I've come to you is to retrieve a missing Miraculous from someone who shouldn't have one."

"Hawk Moth?" she asked. If this man could give her a lead on her archenemy, she'd take it.

"No... well, yes, but he can wait. For a few weeks I've been keeping tabs on the new holder of the Bee Miraculous. I see how she used her power, and unfortunately... she's causing more harm than good. I need you to retrieve her Miraculous from her. You need to stop Queen Bee."


	2. The Bug The Bee and the Cat

Adrien walked through the halls of Chloe's house. The halls were covered with extravagant decorations. Paintings, tapestries and sculptures all worth somewhere in the range of tens of thousands of euros. It gave the hotel a certain warmth, and made it feel like people lived there unlike the minimalist design of his home.

"Adrikins, it's so wonderful to see you," Chloe said giving him a tight hug.

Adrien pulled away from the hug, breaking free of her grasp. "Geez Chloe, something's got you really excited," he said. Adrien noticed that Chloe was practically vibrating as she bounced around the room.

"I've got a wonderful secret that I've been dying to show you," she said. Chloe dragged him to her room. Looking around, Chloe ran to her curtains and closed all of them before turning back to him.

"Secret?" he asked, backing away from the girl. He looked to her with a knowing smile. Chloe only got this excited for one reason. "Is your mother coming home?"

Chloe bristled at the mention of her mother, but before Adrien could apologize she continued. "No, she's still in New York, but this is nearly as good," she said, her smile never fading.

"Oh. What's the secret?" he asked. The fact that the mention of her mother couldn't bring down her mood had really piqued his interest.

"Yeah, remember when I told you I'd explain why I wasn't there for your speech," she said.

"Yeah," he said, not really sure where she was going with this.

"Well, I called you here so I could show you." Chloe looked around the room for a moment. "Pollen, come out," she said. After a few moments, a yellow creature flew out of the dollhouse.

The creature, Pollen, looked sullen as it made its way towards the two."Let me state this for the record; I am against this."

"Yeah, well it's been over six weeks, and I trust him," she said. "Adrien, this is Pollen, my kawmi. Pollen, this is Adrien, my oldest friend."

"Salutations, it is an honor to meet someone Chloe values enough to share her secret with," the kawmi said, bowing her head to him.

"Kawmi?" Adrien asked, inspecting the creature. "Where did she come from, and how did you get it?" The wheels in his head began to turn. A yellow and black kwami could only mean one thing.

"Don't worry, she won't bite," Chloe teased. "Kawami are a race of magical creatures that grant people powers. I was heading downtown when I saw this jewelry box on the street. There was this hair clip with her inside. We made a deal. I get to be a superhero, and in exchange she teaches me about feelings and stuff."

Adrien looked at her a moment before mustering the strength to ask the question. "Superhero, as in Queen Bee?"

"Yeah, I'm just like Ladybug. Check this out. Pollen, Buzz on," she said, transforming into her the heroine, Queen Bee.

Adrien was taken aback watching his friend transform. Before he could get a word out, she ran up to him, giving him a big hug.

"I'm so glad you've heard of Queen Bee! I knew you were cool," she said, releasing him from the hug. "You can't believe how many people haven't heard of me yet. I've been fighting crime almost two months and I haven't even meet Ladybug yet."

"Yeah, well I saw the story about you taking down that villain Wordsmith," he said. A part of him was nervous. Chloe being a hero would either be really good or really bad; there was no in-between with this girl.

"Don't believe a single word that liar writes," she said defensively. "I've been trying so hard to help, but she has it out for me."

"So that's why you had to leave at the gala? You had to fight Wordsmith," he said. Adrien looked at Chloe; he looked at her for real for the first time in a long while. He hadn't seen her smile like that since he told her that he'd be going to the same school as her. Adrien took her hand and led her to the to the couch. He gave her an encouraging smile and asked. "So, Queen Bee, tell me about your daring exploits."

* * *

Marinette made her way through the halls of her school. It had been two days since Master Fu had arrived at her house asking for her to take down this other Miraculous holder. She had spent most of that time trying to figure out how to even track her down. All she had was a vague idea about who Queen Bee was and where she fought crime. Other then that, she was a total mystery. Entering the classroom, Marinette looked towards her friend Ayla. Ayla was practically a walking encyclopedia when it came to superheroes, but even she couldn't give her any leads. Resigning herself to her fate, Marinette walked past her friend and stood before Chloe. "So, you know about Queen Bee?" she mumbled.

Chloe turned towards her; the sneer on her face seemed extra dark today. "Yes, why do you care, loser? I thought you said she was a nobody?"

Marinette scowled. _Why did the only person who knew anything about this new hero have to be her?_ "The way you were talking about Queen Bee was so inspiring that I wanted to know about her," she said, faking a smile. "I mean, you made her seem really cool."

Chloe glared at her. The wheels in her head began to turn. Marinette guessed she was weighing the options of bragging about the new hero or telling her off."Okay, I'll tell you about Queen Bee, but I have a request."

"A request? What would you want? I'm not going to humiliate myself for you." Marinette said. Chloe's cruelty was legendary around the school; any request from the girl would definitely be horrible.

"Oh, Dupain-Cheng, you wound me so," she said in a singsong voice. "I just want your friend Ayla to write a blog post all about Queen Bee. Your her best friend, so you can get her to write a post about Queen Bee."

"That's it?" Of all the things she expected, the request to be helping someone else wasn't one of them. "You seem really into this new hero. What's up with that? I thought Ladybug is your favourite hero? And how do you know so much about her?" she asked.

"Ladybug is my favourite hero, but what fan of superheroes doesn't want heroes to team up? If I can get them to meet, that would be to die for," she said with stars in her eyes. "As for your other question: like I told you before, my daddy is the mayor. He gets updates on not just Queen Bee, but all of Paris' heroes."

Marinette didn't really know what to say about that. The thought about another hero helping would be cool, but Master Fu was pretty clear about bringing Queen Bee in. "I guess it would be cool seeing the two of them fighting together," she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "So are you going to tell me about the Bee?"

"Fine, but I better see all the stuff I tell you about Queen Bee in that blog post," she said, pointing her finger at the girl. Chloe gestured to her right, offering her Sabrina's seat. The other girl bashfully took it, giving the red-haired girl an awkward smile and wave.

"Queen Bee has been a hero in Paris a few weeks after Ladybug and Chat Noir first showed up. She's been going around to the worst parts of the city and cleaning up the streets. She's got superstength, superspeed, a magical spinning top, and the power to immobilize her enemies."

"Yeah, I've read about that; she's the reason for that crime wave?" she said.

Chloe shot her a fierce glare. "Yes, but it's not her fault. Queen Bee is trying really hard to fight crime. It's not her fault that fighting crime causes more crime. Anyone would make that mistake. Now silence, before I decide you're not worth it."

"Yeah, well there still is one. Can you give me anything to work with?" she asked. So far, all Chloe had given her was nothing new. She knew about the damage, she knew about her powers, and she knew about how long Master Fu lost the Bee Miraculous.

"Work with? What are you talking about?" Chloe asked, getting right in her face.

"Oh you know, If I'm going to get Ayla to write a blog post about Queen Bee, getting a photo of her to post with it would be a really nice addition," she said, feigning innocence.

Chloe perked up at the sound of photo. "Well, if you all you want is a photo with her, there is a cafe she goes to before her patrols; Chez Michelle. She goes right before it closes and gets a coffee."

* * *

Adrien placed his bag on the back of his chair before he slumped into his chair. "Plagg, come on out."

The black catlike creature flew out of his pocket and took a seat on the books on his desk. "You're worried about Chloe, aren't you," he said while inspecting the cover of the book.

"Chloe's been my friend for as long as I can remember, but the thought of her being a hero isn't something I can see. It's really dangerous, and well..."

"She's as warm and approachable as an arctic cactus," Plagg said.

Adrien bristled at that comment. Chloe was a lot of things: energetic, passionate, and driven, but a superhero she was not. "I'm worried about her. Being a superhero is a big deal."

Plagg flew over to Adrien and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. If she gets out of hand, Pollen will take care of her. She has a habit of taking on tough cases like this."

Adrien's head shot up at that. "What do you mean by _take care of her_?"

 _Maybe giving a few days to think about Chloe and Pollen was a bad idea._

Plagg looked at him and sighed. "Pollen always chooses people with bad attitudes to be her Miraculous holders. She likes to change them for the better, but sometimes she can't change them, and then she puts a stop to them herself."

"And by stop them you mean..." Adrien asked, not willing to finish the question.

"Like you said, being a Miraculous holder is a big deal. Unlike Nooru, Pollen doesn't mess around. Pollen is the kwami of stillness; she watches and waits before attacking. She won't harm the girl physically. She'll just get her to feel so small and worthless that she'll give up the power herself," he said. He and the other kwamis use to joke that he was the most dangerous of them, but a part of them knew it was Pollen. There was power in restraint.

Adrien paled at what Plagg said. He rose to his feet, making his way to his window. "Great, my friend's got a psychopath for a kwami. Plagg we need..."

"Wait!" Plagg said, flying towards his master. "Pollen is dangerous, but she really does care about people and she does care about all of her previous masters. Whenever she's had to get them to give their Miraculous, it's never been easy for her. She must see something in your friend to make her her new holder, and I trust Pollen's judgement. If she thinks that Chloe can be a great hero, so do I."

"Yeah, but what if she can't?" Adrien asked. He knew that Chloe's bravado was a front. If Pollen tore her to pieces, he doubted he could put all the pieces back together.

Plagg looked at Adrien. Adrien had always seen the lighthearted cat creature as so youthful and full of life, but for a second he saw the centuries of life he's lived. "I can't promise you that your friend is one hundred percent safe with Pollen, but the big question is whether or not you think you friend can become a good person."

Adrien looked away from the kwami. He thought of everything Plagg said; he thought about the smile Choe had when she transformed; he thought of the little girl who played with him when he was young. Adrien sighed before turning away from the window and falling on his bed. 

* * *

Chloe paced along the rooftop. She kept looking down, waiting for Dupain-Cheng or her friend. She'd told that loser where to go and when she could meet Queen Bee, and she still was late. Chloe looked down at the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of either girl, but neither of them had shown up. Taking out her spinning top; she popped off the lid and checked the time. A part of her was tempted to call the girl, but she didn't know what name would appear on her Caller ID.

Chloe was startled when her top began to ring. "Hello?" she asked, unaware that her top could ever receive calls.

"Chloe, you have to go to school; there's a supervillain attacking!" Sabrina shrieked.

Chloe hung up her phone/top. Dupain-Cheng could wait; Paris needed her. Queen Bee raced across the rooftops towards the school. Her heart raced with joy. She was going to fight another villain. The last time she had made a few rookie mistakes, but overall she had done an amazing job fighting a villain one on one. The thought of beating up another villian put a smile on her face.

 _I wonder if I should change my scoring system? Supervillains should be worth more points then muggers. If supervillain fights were going to become my new normal, I should make the effort to factor that into my game._

Chloe leapt from the final building landing in her school's entrance. She kicked down her school's front door, and sprinted towards the sound of the noise. Making her way through the darkened halls of the school, she could hear voices talking. Chloe entered the large gymnasium, the lights blinding her temporarily. She squinted, trying to see the blurry figures. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

There she stood in all her glory, the Ladybug. The lights from the gym seemed to silhouette her in a golden halo. Her red suit with black spots seemed to glow. Chloe was so taken aback by her hero she didn't notice a figure trying to tackle her from the side.

Fortunately for her, she was saved by Chat Noir. The boy in the black catsuit hit the figure in the gut with his staff so hard that he flew into a group of young men who looked exactly the same.

"On your toes! This is going to be a long night, Queenie," he said flashing her a quick grin. "You need to _Bee_ careful."

Chloe didn't know what to say as she began to leap out of the way. She followed Chat Noir, watching his back as they fought copies. From what she gathered, it looked like one of the jocks from her school got akumatized and now had the power to make copies.

 _Great, the first villain I'm fighting with Ladybug, and I'm completely useless!_

She and Chat made their way over to Ladybug. Chloe took out her top and began to twirl it into an impromptu shield like Ladybug did with her yo-yo.

"Queen Bee?" Ladybug asked. Chloe's heart soared. Ladybug, Paris' number one hero, knew who she was.

Chloe nodded her head. She could feel the pit in her stomach grow. The pressure in her began to mount until she felt like she was going to explode. She need to say something to her hero.

"ILOVEYOU! I'm obsessed with you- Ithinkaboutyouallthetime!" she blurted out the blush clear on her face.

Ladybug looked at her, half-horrified, half-startled by her outburst; the yo-yo she'd been twirling as a shield stopped. Chat Noir had to save her from one of the clones breaking her out of her shock. "As much as my Ladybug appreciates your feelings, she's already got a paramour. We need a plan."

"Yeah, Chat's right. We need a plan, not about the paramour thing," Ladybug said, putting on her game face. "Any ideas?"

"His name is Louis he's mad that the track team doesn't have enough people willing to join this season. They aren't entering the relay race," Chat said. "Hey Bee, what are your powers?"

"Stillness; I can make things stop moving," she said to Chat before turning to Ladybug. "Just to set the record straight, I don't love-love you; I just admire you as a hero."

"Can you freeze all these people in place?" she asked hopefully.

Chloe winced. Letting down her hero felt like a punch to the gut. "Sorry. My power can only be used once."

"We can't fight this guy forever. We need a plan," she said.

"Lucky Charm?" Chat offered.

"I don't know, if things go south and we don't get the real Louis, I'd be out of commision," she said. The three of them were getting boxed in as the fighting continued. "Let's start by trying to figure out where the akuma could be hiding. At least that will give us a fighting chance."

"Louis is on the track team, so it should be in his baton," Chat said.

"I've got it!" Chloe said. "Chat Noir, if you plunge your staff into one of the walls, you could use it as a perch. While I keep the clones away from Ladybug, she uses her yo-yo to lasso the batons away from them while you destroy them," she said.

"M'ladybug?" Chat asked, glancing over at his partner.

"It's as good of a plan as we've got. I'll give you some room to get to a wall," she said, throwing her yo-yo in a huge sweeping motion, knocking down the clones.

Chat took off, pole vaulting himself clear of the small army. He buried his staff into the wall and observed the fight. Looking for anything that could help.

The two girls began their part of the plan. Queen Bee shifted from using the top as a shield to a mace, hitting everything not red and black in sight. She kept spinning around her idol as she worked.

Ladybug, for her part, leapt out of the way of Queen Bee's attacks, trying to get some space to operate. She had to remind herself that Queen Bee was still new at this and wasn't doing this on purpose, and that yelling at the girl would only make things worse. The two girls managed to work out a good rhythm as the fight dragged on.

The number of clones with batons were dwindling fast, but they still couldn't get the real one. They were starting to get exhausted.

"This isn't working," Ladybug said, tossing another baton at Chat Noir without even looking. "As long as he can make more clones it doesn't matter how many batons we destroy."

Chloe's muscles began to ache as the fighting dragged on. Her hair was matted, and sweat was starting to get in her eyes. "Well Ladybug, it was an honor to meet you; I'm just sad we didn't get to hang out together." Chloe looked over to where Chat was supposed to be and and her eyes widened in shock. "Chat's gone!" she yelled.

"They must've got him while we were distracted," Ladybug said, failing to keep composure. The thought that Hawk Moth might have already gotten his hands on one of their Miraculouses didn't even cross her mind as she focused on her missing partner.

Before Chloe could begin to scan the area, the clones began to run away. Without saying a word, both girls began to chase after them. The halls of the school were too narrow to swing through, so the girls began to run atop the heads of the clones.

The two leapt to the front of the line, where they found Louis running from Chat.

"Chat!" Ladybug yelled. "Why are you chasing this one?"

"Worried, m'lady. I was watching the fight when I noticed this was the only one to hang back while the others fought. He was the only clone to be making clones," he said.

"So that's how you figured out he was the original," Ladybug said, running along her partner and tagalong. "You are sooo going to get it when this is over."

"We still need to lose the extras though."

Chloe smiled. Her plan might not have gone the way she expected, but this could be her time to shine. "Leave that to me."

Queen Bee stopped running and began to spin her top in another shield, this one large enough to block the entire hall and keep the clones away. "You guys go and save the day."

Ladybug and Chat Noir chased Louis through the halls of the school. They made their way from the back of the school to front doors, both of them noticed that one of the doors were smashed. Being out in the open again, Chat vaulted past the villain. "Going somewhere?" he said.

Louis raised his baton to hit Chat, but before he could, he was lassoed by Ladybug and disarmed of his baton. "Care to do the honors?" she asked Chat, throwing him the baton.

Chat cracked the baton over his knee releasing the akuma trapped inside, and Ladybug purified the butterfly watching it fly away.

"Pound it," they said in unison. They turned towards the school, ready to head in and deal with the new hero. Chat felt proud of Chloe for her first outing while Ladybug was beginning to be filled with dread.

 _This is not going to go easily._

"Chat, there's something I need to tell you about Queen Bee," she said, turning to her partner.

"What about her?" he asked. The tone in her voice said enough for him to guess he wouldn't like what she was about to say.

"Bee is..."

"That was awesome," Chloe said from the top of the stairs. "I came to warn you two that the clones ran off to find another way through, but you two saved the day."

"Yeah we did, thanks for helping," Ladybug said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.

"Is something wrong?" Chat said.

Sure, Adrien had planned to have the two meet differently, but overall, this wasn't a bad first outing for his best female friend and his partner.

Ladybug looked to the ground, embarrassed by what she was going to say. "I need you to give me back your Miraculous," she said, heading up the stairs.

"What? Why? I helped you beat a villain," Chloe said, shocked about what her hero was saying.

"Yeah, about that. The Miraculous you had was stolen..."

"I didn't steal it!" Queen Bee shouted. "I found this weird box on the ground and inside was this magic hair clip and Pollen. We talked for a bit before she offered me the chance to be a hero."

"Ladybug, she did help us; I doubt she stole that clip," he said. While Adrien did not rule out the possibility of Chloe stealing something to get superpowers, he doubted she would even know what a Miraculous was or where to find one.

 _Heck, I don't even know where they all are_.

"I didn't say she did, I just said that the Miraculous was stolen," she said defensively. "Look, you seem like a nice person, but I've been asked to retrieve the Miraculous," she said.

"Why? I'm really good. I can be a really big help to you. Just give me a chance. Please..." Chloe pleaded. "C'mon, Ladybug, be cool."

Before Ladybug could respond, Chat asked."Who asked you to take back the Miraculous?"

"The man that gave Chat and I our Miraculouses. I meet him and he told me that he had been watching you, seeing how you used your powers, but the crime wave you caused was too much. You need to stop causing trouble," she said.

"A strange man met you and asked you to retrieve a Miraculous? What if that guy was Hawk Moth? What if he doesn't want us working together?" Chat asked, with Queen Bee nodding her head behind him.

"Getting us to fight each other would be pretty smart," Chloe said.

"It wasn't Hawk Moth. Tikki, my kwami, knew who he was and told me all about him," she said.

Chloe felt the blood in her run cold as it tore painfully through her body. Ladybug wanted to take away the best thing she had in her life. "You can't take her away. Pollen is my best friend; I can't lose her. I can't go back to being ordinary," she said, backing away.

"Calm down, Bee. Everything is going to be alright," Chat said, giving her a comforting smile. "I never met this guy before. I don't know if we can trust him, but I do know that I can trust you. Ladybug, why don't we give her a chance? I mean, I didn't have to pass a trial or go on a quest. I just got the power; there was no guarantee that I'd be a hero with it."

"Yeah Ladybug, give me a chance," she chirped in. "I swear you can count on me. The quirky Queen Bee can totally help. I'll literally do anything."

"You were given a chance by the guardian; and you've caused more harm than good. The only reason why I was told about you or what you've been doing is because I have to stop you. Give back the Miraculous," she said, holding out her hand. Marinette hated the look on the other girl's face, and couldn't meet her gaze as she was forced to destroy her life.

Chloe reached for the hair clip. She could feel warmth radiating off from the metal. It soothed her, filling her with power. Chloe took her hand off the clip, and Queen Bee gave Ladybug a glare so powerful the other girl took a step back. "I'm not giving up Pollen. If you want my Miraculous you're going to have to fight me for it!"

Chat stepped in between the two girls. "Wow. Let's all take a moment and-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as a beeping noise was heard from Ladybug.

"You used your power; I guess you're at your limit, eh Ladybug?" Queen Bee said. Taking advantage of the distraction, Queen Bee pulled Chat Noir towards her and used her venom to stun him. "Guess we'll have to finish this another day," she said, turning away from Ladybug and leaping to the rooftop.

* * *

Chat Noir paced along a rooftop until heard the distinct thud of of Ladybug landing.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Finding food at this time of night wasn't easy," she said.

"Don't worry about it. We wouldn't want you to transform out in the open," he said, giving her a playful smile.

"Yeah, it's a shame she fought back. I really would have liked to have her join the team," she said, looking out into the city.

"Hey, before you mentioned the guy who gave us our powers. Do you think I can meet him? I have a few questions I want to ask him," he said.

"Sorry, it's not up to me to give away his identity," Ladybug said. This night was starting to wear on her as she kept having to play the bad guy.

Chat came up beside her, placed his arm on her, and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I understand. It would be pretty uncool if a superhero revealed someone's secret identity."

"Yeah. Now we have to deal with Hawk Moth and Queen Bee," she said. Just when she was getting used to being Ladybug, life throws her another hurdle.

Chat took his arm off her shoulder. "Yeah, about that," he said. Ladybug turned to face him; she gave him a questioning look daring him to explain himself. "It's not that I don't agree that she needs to stop fighting us, but I think we should give her a chance."

Marinette looked at her partner. "What? How could you possibly be on her side? She attacked you!" she said, practically yelling the last part.

"I know, but we were trying to take her Miraculous from her. I would have done the same thing in her position. If someone wanted to take Plagg from me, I'd freak out. Plus when she did stun me, she could have fought you when you were close to transforming back, and instead she left," he said. Adrien knew that had he not known that it was Chloe, he probably would have been on Ladybug's side. But he couldn't hurt his friend like that.

"This isn't like Hawk Moth trying to steal our Miraculouses; this is about someone who shouldn't have one having one."

Marinette hated herself for getting in a fight with Chat, but she had to do the right thing even if it felt wrong. "I don't want to do this, but it's our duty as Miraculous holders to keep them safe."

Adrien thought of the big goofy smile Chloe had yesterday. For once in a long time his friend was filled with this positive energy about doing the right thing.

"Ladybug, I had a talk with my kwami about Pollen. He told me that if Pollen wanted to leave her holder, she could. If that's true, that means she wants to be there. As far as I'm concerned, the kwamis get to decide where they want to go. If she wants to be with Queen Bee, then she can stay with her. If you can't accept that, then you can fight her for her Miraculous, but I won't help you."

"Chat, y-"

"I'm not changing my mind," he said before she could try."If she does something really bad, I'll help take her down, but otherwise I'm not budging."

Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and latched it on to a building. "Are we still patrolling tomorrow?" she asked, glancing back to him.

"Yeah," he said as he watched her swing away. Chat groaned in frustration.

 _Why couldn't the girl he liked and his childhood friend get along?_

Just as he was starting to get the hang of this whole Chat Noir thing, a new problem came out of nowhere.

Chat made his way through the city. Chloe had used her power, and getting into a verbal fight with Ladybug would have been trying for the girl. It didn't surprise him at all when he spotted her spread out across her bed. He couldn't tell what she was saying, but no doubt it had to do with the perceived unfairness of the whole situation. Chat leapt onto her balcony and entered her room though the unlocked door.

"You know that was a dirty trick back there," he said, altering the girl to his presence.

"Chat Noir? What are you doing here?" she said, glaring at him. For a moment she glanced at her dollhouse.

Chat Noir scowled at her. "I'm not an idiot. I know you're Queen Bee." Before she could lie, Chat interrupted her. "You're the mayor's daughter and the cause of a few akuma attacks. I've seen you enough times to tell it's you. Wearing a different outfit and hiding your cheekbones isn't a good disguise. If I saw Ladybug out of her costume I would be able to tell it's her."

"Pollen, buzz o-"

"I'm not here to fight," he said, raising his arms up defensively. "I came here to tell you, Ladybug and I got into a fight, verbally. I'm willing to give you one last chance, but if you give me a reason to worry, I will tell Ladybug who you are and where you live." Chat made his way to the balcony, ready to leave when he heard Chloe call out to him.

"Thanks for sticking up for me back there, and I'm sorry about stinging you," she said. Chat didn't say anything as he leapt off her balcony.

"Well, that could have gone better," Pollen said, flying out of her dollhouse.

Chloe sighed, falling back on to her bed. _Just when I was starting to get the hang of being Queen Bee things just have to get harder._ "I've got a lesson-of-the-day; don't meet your heroes. You know, when I thought about meeting Ladybug, accidentally telling her I love her, and attacking her partner was not what I had in mind."

"Of course, my Queen, but we have more pressing matters to deal with," Pollen said while flying into her master's view. "We need to act quickly."

"Oh? What more do we have to talk about?" Chloe asked. Her kwami wasn't really one to make decisions for them; Pollen had long ago settled into her adviser/teacher role over the past few weeks. Hearing her actually have a plan about how to fix this mess was interesting.

"Hearing the other Miraculous holders threaten your place as my queen isn't something I will abide by. They nor the old man playing guardian have the right to decide whether or not I return to my home. If you are ever going to stop being my queen, it's going to be because of your actions."

Chloe perked up hearing her friend say that about her. She began to get excited that Pollen was willing to fight for their partnership. "So what exactly do you have in mind?" she asked.

"It's time I stop letting you play hero, and it's time for me to teach you how to be Queen Bee. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be teaching you how to fight."


	3. The Divide

"The coast is clear and I've told all the staff not to enter," Sabrina said, carrying a bucket full of baseballs, and locking the ballroom door behind her. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Thank you, dear," Pollen said, turning to her partner. "Time to begin your training, my Queen. The best place to start your training is learning how to use properly use your skills. Up until now all of your skills have come from the past holders of the Bee Miraculous and myself subconsciously influencing you; that's why you didn't die the first time you swung around the city. For now your training will be broken up into four sections: parkour, weapons training, boxing and flight training."

"Flight? I can fly?" Chloe asked.

 _It's so cute how predictable she is._

"I had a feeling that as soon as I mentioned flight you'd want to try it," Pollen said, moving away from the girl. "Yes, you can technically fly. When your top is on the ground you can use the string to lift you up. You can only move as far from the top as the string's length, but you can move the top with your mind. You can also only fly for as long as the top is spinning, so on average you've got about a minute and a half of flight. If the top is off of the ground you will fall."

Chloe took a moment to process all the information given. "This is so cool! I can't believe I can fly; not even Ladybug can do that! Okay, let's get started, what's the first drill to do?" Chloe said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

"The first drill requires your friend Sabrina. While you're running laps on the ceiling, Sabrina will try to pelt you with the baseballs. Once Sabrina's out of balls, come down from the ceiling and use your string to push yourself around the room to retrieve the balls, then rinse and repeat," Pollen said.

Pollen smiled to herself, the nostalgia of training the previous Queen Bee warmed her soul.

"Pollen, Buzz on!" Chloe said, transforming into Queen Bee. "Give me a few seconds to get used to being upside down before you start."

Chloe closed her eyes and began to shakily rise from the ground. "This is the coolest thing I've ever done." Placing her hands on the ceiling Chloe's body began to slowly lift to the ceiling. Chloe's feet lightly tapped the ceiling as she tentatively began to bounce on the balls of her feet, gauging the amount of support her top gave her. Chloe began to walk around the ceiling before bursting out into a full sprint.

"Are you ready, Chloe?" Sabrina asked from the ground.

Chloe grinned and said, "Give it your best shot."

* * *

Ladybug ran across the roofs of Paris with her trusty partner by her side.

"I don't think we should go to Chloe's house. I'm sure the mayor can protect his daughter, especially after all the trouble she's gotten herself into," Chat said.

 _Plus, even if those failed, I doubt Queen Bee needs our help to take down a bad guy._

Marinette couldn't help but smirk at the idea of Chloe paying for hurting her latest victim, but the hero in her knew what her responsibilities were.

"Chat, I know she's a pain, but Chloe deserves to get knocked down a peg, not attacked. It's our duty to help those in need and that includes her. Plus this is our only lead."

The two leapt through Chloe's open window, landing in an empty room. Marinette couldn't help but look around at Chloe's bedroom. Her room was mostly marble white, while most of the furniture and decorations were purple and pinks by contrast. What stuck Marinette as odd was a damaged antique dollhouse that looked to be in the process of being repainted.

 _I never thought Chloe would still have a dollhouse at her age._

"Chloe, are you here?" Chat Noir asked, his voice echoing through the large room.

The pair turned around when they heard a voice mumbling something. "Ladybug, what are you doing here?" Chloe asked, stepping out from behind a room divider.

"After you ran away in the library, the villain chased after you. We tried to follow him, but he gave us the slip," she said. "Since we know that villain is after you; we figured the best way to stop him would be for us to stay here with you."

"Oh my god. Ladybug is going to spend the whole day with moi. Oh, this is a dream come true," Chloe said.

Whatever reason this psycho had for hunting her didn't matter anymore; she was going to spend time with Ladybug.

 _Pay it cool, Chloe. Queen Bee might not have made a great first impression, but Chloe Bourgeois can._

"Ladybug, Chloe Bourgeois, but I'm sure you already knew that," Chloe said trying to act suave as possible. "Can I get you anything a drink? Maybe some snacks? We don't know when this guy could attack; you should make yourselves comfortable."

"No thanks, we shouldn't really get distracted," Ladybug said. "You're in danger and we need to stop this guy before people get hurt."

"Your loss. My hotel has five-star cuisine served 24/7, but if you'd rather starve, be my guest. Let's get down to business," she said placing her purse inside her dollhouse.

"Speaking of people getting hurt, why did you come home? The Grand Paris is filled with people; you're putting them in danger. I'm sure a girl with your influence and power could've found a hiding spot less crowded," Chat said.

Chloe's blood began to boil. Being talked down to and lectured by Paris's number two hero was insulting.

"Yes, I assure you I'm powerful enough to have handled that situation back in the library, but I didn't get a chance to make my move. As for why I came here; I thought that this would be that first place he'd look for me. So I decided that I'd leap out from my hiding spot and take him down with one shot," Chloe said, trying to keep herself restrained.

 _Mangy cat._

"Wow. Wow. Wow. Miss Bourgeois, while I appreciate your initiative, you can't go around fighting supervillains," Ladybug said. "Leave the supervillains to the superheroes like Chat and I."

"What about Queen Bee? She's a hero. Shouldn't she be helping you?" Chloe asked.

Chloe's eyes darted to Chat Noir, but he simply turned away. Apparently he was willing to let her fish for information on how Ladybug felt about her alter ego.

"Queen Bee? Pshh, we don't really hang out with her," Ladybug said. The last thing Paris needed to know was that the city's heroes were fighting among themselves.

"I thought she helped you guys fight off that villain in the school?"

"She did, but that was more of a one-time deal, not a partnership like Chat Noir and I have," she said. "Plus, how do you know about that? Queen Bee arrived after we told all the witnesses to leave."

Chloe cursed herself. She could say it was the Ladyblog, but that cow Ayla hadn't mentioned her at all in her report.

"Yes, but there was still security tape of the fight. The police managed to get their hands on it and they sent a copy of the video to my daddy, the mayor. I saw you three fighting together in the gym. You guys seemed to be a good team. Why don't you team up with her?"

Marinette groaned to herself. _Of Course she's still obsessed with the three of us working together._

"Chloe, the truth is that Queen Bee…"

Whatever Ladybug was about to say was cut off as the trio turned to face the door. The three got into defensive stances until they saw a mousey redheaded girl come in.

"Sabrina? What are you doing here?" Chloe asked.

"I was on my way to Marinette's house to work on our science project, and give her the geography homework I did, when I got a text message from your maid, Miss Pauline. She said that you wanted to see me and hang out, and that Ladybug and Chat Noir were here," she said before turning to Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Hi, I'm Sabrina Raincomprix, a friend of Chloe's."

After a brief pause the red-haired girl made her way over to the heroes and shook their hands before sitting on the bed.

"Oh yeah, Miss Pauline... Remind me to _thank_ her for always buzzing in," Chloe said, her eyes glancing over to the dollhouse. Chloe looked at how comfortable the three of them were, and a spike of jealousy rose up in her.

"You know this is such a wonderful occasion, you and I should get a photo together Ladybug."

Grabbing the local heroine, Chloe pulled her into a tight embrace and took a quick looked amazing as always, but Ladybug had the same expression her mother had in all her photos.

"We should take another one. You're not smiling," said Chloe.

Ladybug freed herself of Chloe's grasp. "Sorry. I'm just a little camera-shy," she mumbled in irritation.

"Looks like someone's got a fan. Make that two, counting Queenie," Chat teased.

It was kind of cool to see his normally jaded friend loosen up and act like a kid again.

"We should take another one," Chloe said, rushing up behind her.

"We should be trying to figure out who's attacking you," Ladybug said, dodging Chloe's attempt to grab her.

"Yeah, I've been trying to figure out who would want to hurt me, but everyone loves me," she said.

"Everyone, but Marinette," Sabrina snarkily said.

All three of them turned towards Sabrina. The girl shrunk under the weight of the three staring at her. Or the annoyed look her friend shot her.

"I-I mean the only person in class that doesn't like Chloe is Marinette."

"Marinette? I don't think that she's behind this. Plus the Evillustrator is clearly a guy," Chat said.

"I don't know. Dupain-Cheng is flat enough to look like a boy. Maybe she is the one behind this," Chloe said. "If Dupain-Cheng wants a fight, I'll gladly show that loser what I'm made of."

"Wow. Wow. Wow. What did I just say about fighting supervillains? Also what makes you think it's her?" Ladybug said, growing increasingly more offended with each comment coming out of Chloe's mouth.

"Nobody likes her and she has no friends. Well that's not true, Nathaniel, this weirdo that spends all his time drawing, likes her," Chloe said.

Hearing Chloe badmouth her friend was the last straw. "That's it, I'm out," Ladybug said, turning to the window.

"Wait, Ladybug! You can't leave! What if Marinette shows up?" Chloe said, though she was more worried about Ladybug leaving than Marinette attacking her.

"Marinette was with you in the library when the Evillustrator attacked; I doubt she's responsible. Chat is right; a girl with your money can easily take care of yourself. We're wasting our time here when we should be looking for him," she said. "Chat, you coming?"

"You go on ahead; I'll see if I can get anything of use and meet up with you later," he said.

Ladybug didn't respond; she just gave him a curt nod before she began to swing away.

Once Ladybug was out of sight. Chloe turned to her dollhouse. "Pollen, you can come out now."

"Hello, Chat Noir and Sabrina. I hope you two are having a lovely day," Pollen said, exiting her dollhouse with a slice of honey-covered cracker.

Sabrina gave the kwami a polite 'hi' from the bed, while Chat stared at her in disbelief.

"You told someone you're a superhero?"

Chloe looked at him as if he were stupid. "Obviously. As soon as I got my powers the first thing I did was tell people I was a hero."

"Chloe, this is serious! How many people did you tell you were a hero?"

"Relax, I only told my best friend Sabrina and my oldest friend Adrien. They're both trustworthy," Chloe said, taking out her nail file.

Adrien relaxed at that, Sabrina wouldn't tell a soul, and he knew he wouldn't either.

"You didn't tell anyone else? You parents, maybe?"

Chloe laughed at the thought of telling her parents she was a superhero.

"My parents? Please. If I told daddy about this, he'd want me to stop. He thinks Queen Bee isn't a hero like you or Ladybug. As for my mom, if I want to get a phone call with her I have to go through one of her personal assistants and schedule an appointment with her."

Chat placed an arm on her shoulder, but Chloe quickly brushed his arm off her.

"While I was initially against her telling people, I think a bit of positive reinforcement might help Chloe become a great hero. And Miss Raincomprix has been invaluable to our cause," Pollen said, patting the girl on her shoulder.

"Enough small talk. We need to get Evillustrator and stop him," Chloe said. "Waiting at the hotel isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to go on the attack!"

"No! Chloe your best chance is to stay here and ambush him," Pollen said, flying in front of her. "Your power is stillness; you need to wait for him to come to you. Sabrina can monitor the Ladyblog to see if the Evillustrator pops up, while Chat Noir and I can watch and wait for him to appear."

"And what? I'm supposed to be bait?" Chloe asked, the thought of having to be bait in her own home irritated her to no end.

"Look at it this way, you'll prove that with or without your Miraculous, you are a hero. Not even Ladybug can say that she's taken down a villain without her powers."

"Fine, I guess being a hero without my powers is kind of cool. But what am I going to do in the meantime?" Chloe said, upset that she would be bait.

"Science! You and Sabrina still have a presentation due, my Queen," Pollen said, opening Sabrina's textbook.

"Ugh, why can't I do something less boring?" she said, glaring at the kwami.

She knew somehow Pollen had manipulated things into getting her to help Sabrina with their project. No doubt she was hoping to have Ladybug here to force her to help just so she'd look good in front of her hero.

"You need to loosen up and not look tense, or else the Evillustrator might get suspicions. You trying to stay awake working on your science project will sell the ruse. Plus, if you start the project, you and Sabrina can force Marinette to take whatever topic you want and have her playing catch up for the entire project."

The image of Marinette's distraught face as she orders her around tomorrow did make her feel a bit better. Taking out her physics textbook, Chloe headed to the bed to start working on her project.

"This sucks. I'm bait and I have to do physics homework. Somebody save me."

As if on cue, Chat Noir's staff began to ring. After a quick one-sided conversation Chat Noir hung up the 'phone' and turned to Chloe.

"Your wish has been granted. Ladybug found out Evillustrator is going on a date tonight with Marinette. You and I need to go and stop him."

"Ladybug wants me to help?" Chloe said with stars in her eyes.

"No, she's got her own mission to handle, and I'd rather not have to do this solo, so it's going to be you and I. We have to go and meet Marinette and convince her to help."

"Fine. Ha, see that, Pollen? Waiting around got us nowhere. Five minutes of work and Ladybug practically handed us the bad guy on a silver platter. Just because my power is stillness doesn't means I need to lay around all day," Chloe said to her Kwami. "Sabrina, you better get started on that Physics project; Chat and I have a date to crash. Pollen, buzz on!"

The two leapt off of the balcony of the hotel on to the rooftops below. "That's new," Chat said, watching Queen Bee fly.

"Yeah, Pollen and I train together. She's been teaching me how to do all sorts of cool tricks. Do you and your Kwami train together?"

"Nah, I don't think there's enough camembert in the world to get him to train," Chat said.

Glancing down at his staff, he thought about asking his kwami for a bit of training. Fencing was fine, but the sword and the staff were two completely separate things.

"Hey, quick question: do you know where Marinette Dupain-Cheng lives? I've known her for years, but I've got no clue where to find her," Chloe said.

"Yeah, I know where she lives. Her family owns a bakery; I've gone there a few times with Ladybug," Chat said, thinking about the sweet, if slightly odd girl.

"So you and Ladybug are close?" Chloe asked.

Rumors said that they were dating, but nobody had managed to get a photo of anything more than a fist bump or high-five.

Before Chloe could get an answer out of him, Chat leapt off the rooftop and landed before Marinette. The poor girl fell to the ground, letting out startled shriek.

"Chat Noir and Queen Bee? What are you two doing here?" Marinette said before accepting Chat Noir's help. "And why are you working with Queen Bee?"

 _You and I get into a fight about Queen Bee, and you think the best thing to do start teaming up with her behind my back?!_

"Ladybug told us that you're going a date with Evillustrator for his birthday, and in exchange you asked him to not hurt Chloe," Chat said, acting as serious as possible.

"You agreed to that?" Queen Bee said.

 _Dupain-Cheng's willing going on a date with a supervillain to protect me?_

"I mean, that's really courageous of you, but you should do what Ladybug always says and leave the superheroing up to the superheroes."

"As for Queen Bee, I'm not willing to let you get hurt, so I reached out for some extra help. Now then, where are you meeting this guy?"

* * *

Chat Noir and Queen Bee leapt across the buildings next to the river, the sunset silhouetting them as they scanned the area, looking for Evillustrator.

"Here's the plan: Marinette will grab Evillustrator's pen from him, and we'll stop him," Chat said to Chloe.

"Hey, I was there when we came up with the plan. Also, what I think you meant to say was you'll be twiddle your thumbs while I do all the heavy lifting," she said, annoyed Chat was treating her like an idiot.

"Sorry, I just thought I'd remind you. I know following other people's plans isn't really your strong suit."

Chloe wanted to tell him off, but she had other plans in mind.

"Speaking of other people's plans, I have a suggestion to make when it comes to taking down Evillustrator."

"Oh, what?"

"Let's let him go on his date," Chloe said.

"What? Why would we do that?"

Adrien knew Chloe hated doing what other people told her to do, but completely scrapping Ladybug's plans wasn't even something he'd even considered when he let her tag along.

 _Cause Dupain-Cheng needs to learn to stay away from Adrien._

"Well, right now all he's done was attack me for no good reason, and ask a girl out. I think I can forgive him for the attack, and asking a girl out on a date for his birthday isn't that bad of a thing. I mean it's pathetic that he has to get her to pity him to go on a date with him, but it's not evil. Come on, Chat, let's not ruin this guy's birthday date. Pretty please, with diamonds on top," Chloe said, batting her eyes.

Chat really hated knowing it was Chloe under the mask, but she was right. Evillustrator hadn't done anything that bad, and a date on his birthday wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Fine, but we stop this the second he tries to hurt someone or if he doesn't let her leave. I'm not going to have another Bubbler situation on my hands."

"Great, now if you'll excuse me, I have some dating advice to give."

Queen Bee leapt from the roof onto the boat, startling the redheaded boy.

Chloe gave him a look over. He looked exactly like his comic book character he was drawing in class; he had the same striped shirt, the same black pants, and even the same stupid beret.

"Who the heck are you?" he asked, recovering from the fright.

 _Seriously, do I need to start handing out pamphlets or something?_

"Hi, I'm Queen Bee, and I'm here to help."

" **She's not here to help. She's a hero here to stop you before you can go on your date," Hawk Moth said.**

"Liar! I know you're here to stop me," he said as he began to start drawing on his tablet.

"Wait! Chat Noir is waiting on that rooftop. If we start fighting he'll come down and fight you too. And if we fight, Marinette will get really mad and you won't be able to go on your date," she said, getting the boy to stop his drawing. "Look, Chat and I heard about today being your birthday. All you want to do is go on this date, so we'll let you, as long as you don't hurt Marinette and have her home before 10:00."

"What, really?" he asked, surprised about his luck.

"Yeah, all you did was attack a mean girl who totally deserved what she got, and go on a date with the girl of your dreams. You're lucky I've got a soft spot for sensitive guys chasing after love," she said, giving him an earnest smile.

"Now I better get out of here. And you have a date to finish getting ready for. Just remember to be yourself. She wouldn't be going on a date with you if she didn't like you. So it's not up to you to get her to like you; it's up to you not to screw this up. Also, on the note of not screwing things up; women don't like guys who can't control their tempers, so stay calm if things don't go according to plan. Just remember after your date is over we're going to fight."

Evillustrator watched as Queen Bee flew off of the boat to a roof where Chat Noir was waiting for her.

" **Evillustrator, go after them! I want Chat Noir's miraculous,"** Hawk Moth said.

"Queen Bee's right. If I start fighting them now, Marinette will hate me. I'll wait until my date is over and then I'll fight them. What's even the point of me having this power if I can't get the girl of my dreams?" he said.

For a moment Hawk Moth was silent. Nathaniel began to worry until he heard the voice return.

" **Very well, I suppose we all need love. Enjoy your date, because after it's done you will do what I want."**

"What the heck was that?" Chat yelled.

Letting him go on a date was one thing, but having a chat with him was totally crossing a line.

"Look the guy is pathetic enough to resort to begging to get a date. He probably doesn't go on a lot of dates, so I gave him some advice," she said, turning away from him and hoping to end the conversation.

"Advice? Since when have you gone on a date?" Adrien said.

The thought of him not knowing something about Chloe irked him more than it should have. She was his best friend. He knew pretty much everything about her. The thought of his childhood friend growing up struck his pride.

"Oh, you know: be yourself, don't get angry, and don't try too hard. Typical dating advice," Chloe said, watching Evillustrator put the finishing touches on his boat.

"Oh, well that's not too bad," Adrien said, trying to regain his composure.

"Hey, that's great dating advice! If it were up to me he wouldn't be out her in the docks. I'd show him how to properly show a lady a good time," she said.

 _Like you could do any better._

"Oh, jealous? Are you mad that Marinette's the Queen of his dreams?" he said, teasing Chloe.

Adrien wondered for a moment if Chloe had a thing for the boy. He could see her falling for an artistic type.

"Please, I couldn't care less about whoever this guy is, but this is just a terrible idea for a date," she said, brushing off his comment.

"What's so bad about a romantic boat ride on the Seine?" he asked.

The boy didn't want to admit it, but this seemed like a good date to him.

"Well firstly, it's autumn; the water is going to make them both colder. Secondly, the river attracts bugs at this time of night. Dupain-Cheng is going to get a million bug bites. Thirdly, he's already on edge; the last thing he needs to do is have an entire date that requires him to make small talk," she said, her voice becoming more and more harsh with every reason.

"Geez, way to kill the romance," he said.

"Hey, I can be plenty romantic! It's just this is a bad idea for a date. What would you do if you had a date with Ladybug?" she said accusingly.

"Dinner and a movie?" he said, knowing he'd be mocked.

"Hahaha. Please tell me you haven't actually taken a girl on that kind of date?"

"It's a classic!" he said, trying to defend his lack of creativity.

 _It's not my fault I've never gone on a date._

"Yeah, and so is asking a girl to go steady with you. Just because something is old doesn't mean you should still be doing it," she said.

"Here's what you should do on a date with a Ladybug. Take her out to a carnival or a minigolf, basically any place where you two can do a lot of fun things in a short period of time. Unlike a movie, you can actually talk to the girl you like; instead of staring nervously at a screen for two hours, hoping to do that super cliché move of putting your hand on her shoulder."

Chat nodded, seeing what she was getting at.

"The games will help take the edge off and remind you that she's a person just wanting to have fun too. Plus you can get plenty of souvenirs of your trip to remind you of the night you two shared. Nothing says true love more than an oversized teddy bear you spent 20 euros trying to win."

Adrien actually was taken aback by that. A night out with Ladybug at a carnival actually sounded really great.

"Wow, that's actually really good advice. If I ever do get the chance to ask Ladybug out, I'll take your advice and ditch the dinner and a movie."

"See, I know romance," she said. "Where is Ladybug, by the way?"

"Ladybug has a top secret mission to do tonight. It probably has something to do with the guardian," he said, frowning at the absence of his partner.

"You don't always know where she is?" Chloe said.

Chloe had always assumed that the two knew who they were, or at the very least didn't go on secret missions without each other. Ladybug and Chat Noir always seemed to be joined at the hip.

"Could we change the subject? I trust whatever she's doing, it's important," Adrien said. Dwelling on where Ladybug was wouldn't help anyone.

"Fine, I guess we'll just have to _beehive_ ourselves and wait for Dupain-Cheng," she said, much to Chat Noir's annoyance. "See, I can make puns too."

* * *

Marinette made her way to the boat. The idea of a moonlight boat ride on the Seine seemed like such a romantic idea. If only she wasn't being coerced into it by one of her classmates, she might actually enjoy it.

"Evillustrator? Are you up there?" she asked, calling out to the boy.

Evillustrator looked up from his tablet and grinned as soon as he saw her. She might not be dressed up, but she still looked so perfect to him.

"Marinette? You came? I didn't think you'd show up."

Marinette winced at his smile. "Well, you did keep to your word, so I'll keep to mine," she said, trying to push down her guilt.

 _Focus, Marinette, you need to save Nathaniel from himself._

Nathaniel had the decency to blush at the reminder. "Yeah, sorry about Chloe; she just makes me so mad. She treats everyone around her like dirt."

"You're preaching to the choir on that one. I've known her ever since she started going to public school and she's been the absolute worst," she said.

Nathaniel offered her his hand as he helped her onto the boat.

"Yet you still tried to protect her?"

"It's what a hero would do, right? Protect the innocent?" she said, watching as the boat began to move along.

"I'd hardly call Chloe innocent," Nathaniel said as his voice became darker.

"Hey, let's stop talking about Chloe. This our date, the world doesn't revolve around Chloe, no matter what she thinks," she said, trying to defuse the situation.

An uncomfortable pause filled the air with their current topic of discussion being taken off the table.

Nathaniel offered her a seat as he struggled to think of something to say. Taking out his pen, he began drawing a note, causing some background music to play. The two teens stared at their laps as the boat ride continued.

"So... how'd you get your powers?" Marinette said, trying to break the ice.

"Oh, that. I was just walking around when a purple butterfly flew into my pen. Then all of a sudden I got these powers. Cool huh?" he said, rubbing the back of his head.

In his head, he'd been the descendant of a long line of warriors born with the power to make things the way he saw fit. However, the reality of him just getting powers in exchange for his service didn't really match with what he was going for.

"Yeah, totally. But what is it that you do?" Marinette said, trying to fish for information.

"To be honest, I don't really know. I'm just kind of making things up as I go," he said with a slight chuckle.

"Kind of like everyone, I guess. We're all just making it up as we go," Marinette said, trying her best to sound profound and wiser than her she was.

"As for my powers, I guess I can create and destroy things that I draw on my tablet. Check this out," he said.

Getting up from his seat, Nathaniel began to draw, but the clouds in the sky stopped him from getting anywhere with his drawing. He wanted to yell out in frustration, especially when he saw Marinette's expectant face. But he remembered Queen Bee's advice.

"Just a second, I can't draw when there's no light."

Turning around, he erased all the clouds in the night sky. With the sky free of clouds, he began to draw as quickly as possible to make up for the delay.

"Tada," he said, as a purple dragon came into existence.

"Oh, he's so cute!" Marinette said as the beast began to playfully lick her face.

She began to giggle as she hugged the dragon.

"I was thinking about doing a puppy, but with these powers I can do anything, so I might as well go big," he said, petting the dragon's back. "He's as friendly as a puppy, though. No need to worry."

Marinette steadied herself after the rush of having a pet dragon wore off. She had a mission to do, and leading him on wasn't going to help anyone.

"Wow, that's really cool. So are you the only one who can make things, or can anyone?"

"I don't know. I never tried," he said.

The repeated questioning of his powers kept making him nervous, but he didn't want to ruin things with her.

"Can I try?" she said, batting her eyelashes.

In a flash, she grabbed his pen. With a forceful tug, Marinette ripped the pen out of his hands and created some space between them.

"Chat Noir, now!" she yelled.

"You tricked me! I can't believe I was dumb enough to think you could actually like me," he said. The hurt in his voice was clear as tears began to well in his eyes. "You're just like Chloe! You use people to get whatever you want from them, and when they've done what you want, you toss them aside. Well, you can consider our deal off. I'm going to put Chloe in her place."

"We won't let that happen," Chat said, leaping onto the boat with Queen Bee.

"Oh, but you two won't be able to stop me," he said rather darkly.

He rushed to Marinette, recovering his pen. With a flick of his wrist, the dragon began to grow and become more angular as the rounded horns and claws became jagged.

"Great. How do you guys suppose we get out of this?" Queen Bee asked, as Evillustrator ran away.

Our powers aren't made for one-on-one fights. We need to think of a way out of this."

After a few moments he said,"I've got it, but we're going to need to get Marinette to safety."

"You get her to safety while I take care of this guy," she said.

The dragon let out a bloodcurdling roar as it began to fly high in the sky. Taking out her top, Queen bee hit the dragon when it came into range.

Queen Bee spun her top like a shield. As the dragon flew down for another dive bomb, Chat Noir managed to kick the dragon in the face. Taking advantage of the situation, Queen Bee wrapped the middle of her rope around the dragon's mouth as she flipped onto its back.

"Easy there, big boy," she said, trying to calm the beast as it tried its hardest to knock her off. "Chat, hop on!"

Chat leapt on the back of the dragon as they began to fly through the city.

"You know how to fly this thing?" he asked, as Queen Bee had to constantly fight for control with the beast.

"No, but I think a few of the past Queen Bees used to tame horses. Chat, call Sabrina and tell her to get out of my room. Evillustrator is coming, and he is going to be furious when he doesn't see me," she said.

The two made their way through the city. Soon, they spotted the lights of Chloe's room, and a silhouette ran through the room. Chloe struggled to get the dragon to land. Instead, she caused it to crash into the balcony, knocking the beast unconscious.

"Sorry about the balcony," Chat said, turning away from the hurt creature.

"Don't be. I've been trying to get Daddy to renovate this place for months; now he doesn't have an excuse," she said.

Evillustrator looked at the heroes in surprise.

"You two? I should've known you two were lying to me. Where's Chloe?" Evillustrator asked.

"She's the mayor's daughter. After your first attack, she was probably moved to a safe house or something. This place must have a panic room in case of emergencies," Chloe said as condescendingly as possible.

"Give up. It's over. Chloe could be anywhere in Paris by now," Chat said.

"These powers didn't come for free. I might not be able to put Chloe in her place, but I can deliver on my promise to Hawk Moth and give him Chat Noir's Miraculous. And once I beat you two up, I can take Queen Bee hostage in exchange for Chloe being delivered by Ladybug. Two birds, one stone," he growled at the heroes.

"Nice plan, but you might not want to announce it!" Ladybug said as she lassoed him from across the room.

"Ladybug?!" everyone said in awe.

"Chat, I leave you alone for five minutes, and you're off riding a dragon in the middle of the night with Queen Bee?" she teased.

"Don't be jealous, M'lady. You know I've only got eyes for you," he fired back.

"Jealous? I was worried you'd cause a mess, and judging by that landing, you did. You're just lucky that Chloe's rich enough to fix that," she joked.

"I hate to interrupt your flirting, but we've got business to handle," Chloe said as Evillustrator got back up to his feet.

"I talked to Marinette before I got here. She said that he needs light to draw," Ladybug said, eyeing the villain.

"Got it. Cataclysm!" Chat shouted as his hand emitted destructive green energy. He quickly made his way to the light switch.

"I don't think so!" the other boy said as he erased the switch.

"Girls, you might want to think of something fast. I can't keep this contained forever," Chat said as the energy in his hand began to pulse even faster.

Queen Bee scanned her room for something that would actually benefit them. There were too many lamps and lights in the house to get them all with a single hit. She almost gave up hope until she saw the glow of metal from the ceiling.

"The sprinklers, Chat. He can't draw if his tablet is wet."

"You should really take Ladybug's advice, and stop announcing your plans like that," he said, erasing the sprinklers.

Unfortunately, Chat had already leapt into the air, and without the sprinkler, he hit the ceiling with his Cataclysm, causing the roof to explode.

 _Turning off the lights is impossible now, s_ he thought, as the moonlight filled the room.

"Circle him, and one of us can rush him from behind," Ladybug said.

"What did I just say about announcing your plans," he said as he drew tiny rockets to attack them.

 _This isn't good. We need to end this. We need to blind him,_ Queen Bee thought.

She continued to dodge the rockets until a flash of inspiration struck her.

 _He can't see if he's crying._

"Hey, Evillustrator, I can't believe how pathetic you are. You get the power to alter reality and you use it to show off to a girl!" she said, taunting the villain.

"Shut up!" he yelled at her.

"A girl whom you could only get to go on a date with you because you were going to hurt people if she didn't."

Chloe continued watching as the boy's eyes began to water.

"Shut up! Nothing you say matters," he repeated.

"Chat Noir and I didn't interfere on you pathetic excuse for a date because we believed in the power of love. We did it because of how sad you are," she said as he blinked back tears.

 _One more jab is all it's going to take._

"And the worst part is she'll never love you," Chloe said as she began to laugh as cruelly as she could.

Taking advantage of temporary blindness, Queen Bee rushed towards him, and disarmed him of his pen. She snapped the pen in her hand and watched as Ladybug purified the akuma and undid the damage.

 _Well, that takes care of that._

"Ugh, what happened?" Nathaniel groaned as he stumbled to his feet.

A part of Chloe wanted to help, but after the things she said to him, it felt wrong to.

"You don't remember anything about what happened?" Queen Bee tentatively asked.

"No, the last thing I remember is being sent to the principal's office, and then being here. Wherever here is," he said while using Chat to keep him on his feet.

"Well, you got akumatized and asked Marinette Dupain-Cheng out on a date," Queen Bee said.

All the guilt of hurting his feelings vanished with the realization that he couldn't remember.

"Then, after your date you tried to take our Miraculouses," Chat said. "Happy birthday, by the way."

"I did?" he asked, sounding surprised. Whether it was because he attacked three heroes or asked the girl he liked out Chloe did know.

"Oh yeah, she enjoyed your date and seemed to be really into you. Or rather, Evillustrator. You should try to ask her out again," Queen Bee said, giving him a less genuine smile.

"Really?"

"Really."

"As much as I like happy endings, I think we should get out of here before the Mayor's security thinks we're trying to steal from him," Chat said, helping Nathaniel to the door.

"Yeah Chat, you should take Nathaniel out of here. I need to talk to Bee," Ladybug said as friendly as possible.

"Sure thing. Come on. I've got an idea on where to take a girl out a date," he said."How do you feel about minigolf?"

Once the two of them were out of the room, Ladybug turned to Queen Bee and gave her a glare almost as strong as the one she gave her a few days ago.

"That was really messed up what you did there."

"He doesn't remember a thing, so I didn't do any permanent damage," she said defensively.

Ladybug's glare didn't let up. "Did you know that once he was freed he wouldn't have any memories?"

Feeling the weight of Ladybug's gaze on her, Chloe couldn't help, but shrink away.

"Ladybug I'm- I'm not going to apologize for saving the day. I did what I had to," Queen Bee said, standing her ground.

"We could have tried something else," Ladybug said, trying to reach out to the girl behind the mask.

"We were running out of time. Chat used his Cataclysm, and my venom would be useless. It was the only solution," she said, pulling her arm away before their hands could touch.

"I could have used my Lucky Charm," she said, once again using a firm tone.

"He can literally erase things from existence. Any charm you would have summoned he could have erased. If the fight dragged on he would have gotten madder, and Evillustrator might have started erasing people," she said, trying to keep her voice low.

"Nathaniel wouldn't have done that. He would never try to kill someone. There was another option besides tearing someone down to the point of getting them to cry. I don't even think Chloe would do something that mean, and trust me she's the meanest person I've ever met."

That jab thrown Chloe off.

"Oh you want to talk about mean? You were the one who planned to emotionally manipulate him by getting the girl he liked to betray him on his birthday! I may not know who this Chloe girl is, but maybe you two have a bit more in common than you'd like to admit."

Ladybug's shock turned to anger by the end of Queen Bee's rant.

"You don't deserve a Miraculous. And you might have Chat willing to give you a shot, but I've seen your type before; you're just a bully, and being Queen Bee is just a game for you to feel powerful."

Chloe was beyond pissed. A part of her wanted to slap Ladybug right then and there, but she knew she was on thin ice with Chat. Starting a fight with Ladybug would be the end of Queen Bee.

"Give it your best shot. Pollen and I can take anything you can throw at us. Now why don't you run along before you transform?"

Ladybug shook her head sadly, then turned and left though the open window, swinging away from view.

Chloe transformed right as her father burst through the door.

"Chloe, are are you alright?! I heard the commotion and came here as soon as I could from the office," her father said, giving her a big hug.

"Yeah dad, I'm fine. Queen Bee called Sabrina and told us that a villain was coming after us, so we got out of the building and met up with some friends," she said rather sullenly getting, out of her father's embrace.

"Oh, are you okay?" her father asked again, pressing the issue.

"I'll live. I thought this girl and I could be friends, but I teased a guy and he started to cry. Now she kinda hates me," she said.

"Do you think everything is going to be alright," he said.

"I hope so. She's really cool," Chloe said, turning away from her father. "I'm gonna go to bed. It's been a long day for me."


	4. Scratching the surface (Part1)

**Hi, the reason this chapter took so long to come out was because I really waffled on a few scenes and ideas. A lot of things where cut and this became a two parter.**

 **Please show your support and comment, it really helps me know what people a feeling about the characters and if certain things I'm writing are being conveyed to you properly.**

Marinette sat patiently on the floor of Master Fu's home as the older man poured her tea.

"It's quite troubling to hear that Queen Bee would be so cruel. I didn't even think that people could cry when they were akumatized. From what I've read, the hate is supposed to be so all-consuming, you can't feel any other emotion," he said.

Marinette took a sip of her tea and looked out the window; her thoughts drifted towards the other girl. "I know, I didn't think that it was possible too. Queen Bee is a bully, and I doubt Nathaniel was the first person she's hurt. The way Queen Bee tore into him and got to the heart of his insecurities was too deliberate."

Master Fu smiled at Marinette before taking a sip of his tea. "I was right to choose you. Your concern for others is truly remarkable."

Marinette feel her cheeks warm at the compliment. It wasn't everyday one gets a compliment from a former superhero. "Thanks, I know how sensitive he can be, and how much words can hurt him. If he hadn't lost his memories, who knows what he could have done?"

"We both know what he might have done, Marinette. It's best not to think about the 'what ifs' in life. Your friend is safe and he won't hurt himself," he said, trying to comfort the girl.

Marinette huffed in frustration. "Queen Bee didn't know that, though. She pushed someone who was in distress until he cried without caring about how he'd feel afterwards."

"All the more reason to retrieve the lost Miraculous. You need to convince Chat Noir to help you," he said.

"We had another talk... another fight about Queen Bee. He agrees what she did was wrong, but he's still defending her. As far as he's concerned this is strike one for her," Marinette said, taking another sip of her tea.

"I'd rather if we didn't let her have all these chances, but until Chat Noir decides to act against her, Queen Bee will have to remain at large," he said. "Now then, finish your tea; you have a big day of school ahead of you."

* * *

The clouds covered the athum sky. Chloe, Sabrina, and Pollen sat on a picnic table eating their respective lunches. It had been a miracle that Pollen found a way for them to eat alone on the rooftop.

"Ugh! Can you believe this garbage?" Chloe said looking at the article on her phone.

"My Queen, you need to relax and let things run its course. Going after Wordsmith is what caused her to write those articles about you. You can't change her opinion of you. The best thing for you is to forget her and focus on more pressing matters," Pollen said, taking a bite out of her honey cakes.

"Yeah, like what? Love?" Chloe sneered at her kwami.

Sabrina's eyes lit up at the mention of love and she squealed in joy. "Pollen's in love with someone?"

Before Pollen could respond, Chloe stepped in. "Oh yeah, during Parent's Day, Chat Noir's kwami came by and hung out with her. They were watching videos on her phone in my purse. Tell me Pollen, are you going to invite him back to your dollhouse, or do I have to chaperone you two on your dates?"

"Wow, that's so cute. It's so amazing that you have a boyfriend," Sabrina said.

Pollen shot Chloe a dark look before turning to the other girl. "I'm sorry Ms. Raincromprix, but Plag and I are not dating. We haven't dated in centuries. He was just bored and flew to your school so we could spend time together. Now, back to more pressing matters at hand. My Queen, I am half of Queen Bee, so every mean word she writes is about the two of us. You might be the one in control, but I'm in there too. And neither of us can fight our detractors."

"It's not just her. My dad released a statement about the Evillustrator fight. He called me an uncontrollable wild child just because I crashed a dragon into the balcony. Ladybug and Chat Noir get statues. I get to be humiliated on television. Life's not fair," she said, taking the last bite of her salad.

"Hey, cheer up Chloe. You're sure to win class rep today," Sabrina said. "Your dad loves you; he just needs to know all the good you're doing."

"My dad's always supported me. Hearing him talk about Queen Bee like that sucks," she said. "It's different from hearing Ladybug or Wordsmith attack me. He's my dad; he's always been on my side."

"It's normal for guys to come over without you asking to, right?" Pollen asked, interrupting the two girls.

Chloe grinned at her kwami. "Only if they like you."

Pollen smiled to herself and shook her head. _The things I do to keep you smiling._

Luckily for Pollen, the lunch bell rang, ending their conversation before the girls could start their teasing.

* * *

"Okay class, this is your last chance to sign up for class representative," Ms. Bustier said. The entire class was silent. Ms. Bustier looked at her students encouragingly, but before any of them would speak they took one glance at Chloe and promptly sank back into their seats.

 _Thank god. Finally I get a win._ Chloe could feel the tension slip away as the inevitability of her victory began to sink in.

Mrs. Bustier sighed. "Fine I-"

"I'll run for class rep," Marinette sad.

 _Damn it._ All the tension quickly came back to her. Chloe shot the bane of her existence the meanest glare she could muster. Taking a few breaths, Chloe tried to calm herself. _Relax, this is good. No, this is great. Not only am I going to be class rep, but I get to humiliate Dupain-Cheng in the process._

For the rest of the day, Chloe thought of nothing else but destroying Marinette in the election. When class was over Chloe made her way over to Marinette as the other girl was leaving. "You know you should give up and save us both the trouble," Chloe said.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You're not going to win. I've won class rep every year," Chloe said.

Marinette glared at her when she mentioned her past victories. "Chloe, you're a terrible class rep. The only reason why you've won is because you've scared everyone into not running against you. You're just a bully, and I've had enough of you bullying the class."

Something about the way Marinette called her a bully stung far worse than it should have. "Fine, but when I crush you in this election don't say didn't give you an out. You'll never beat me because no one is going to vote for someone who doesn't have the guts to fight for what they want."

Chloe made her way to her limo. Once the door was shut, Pollen phased through her bag. "You shouldn't have done that."

Chloe sighed, glaring at the bug. "I just wanted one win, and that annoying tryhard got in my way again. I swear, she lives to ruin my life!"

"No, I meant you shouldn't have given her great advice. My Queen, your words probably hurt Miss Dupain-Cheng's feelings, but they were true. If she learns to stand up for herself she could be much more of a problem," Pollen warned.

* * *

Marinette let out a groan as she collapsed onto her bed.

"Marinette are you alright?" Tikki asked.

"Yeah, but I can't believe I agreed to run against Chloe for class rep," Marinette said, with her face in the pillow.

"I think you can win. If what you said about Chloe being a bad class rep is true then I'm sure you can beat her," Tikki said.

Marinette sat up and let out a huge sigh. "Yeah, it's just with everything that's happening with Queen Bee the thought of letting someone like Chloe get what she wants ticked me off."

Tikki gave her a knowing look. "I don't think this is just about Queen Bee."

"You don't?" Marinette asked.

Tikki flew in front of her chosen and shook her head. "You've been dealing with a lot of stuff as of late. I think it's about time for you to get your groove back and get a big win."

Marinette smiled bashfully to herself. "I guess one easy win wouldn't be the worst, but if I win I'm going to have to be class rep. It's going to make it harder to be Ladybug."

"Actually being class rep might make it easier for you to do things. At least now you have an excuse ready to go," she said.

"Yeah, but I'm worried. Maybe Chloe's right about me not being a good class rep. I mean, I can't even talk to Adiren. How am I going to convince teachers to do what I want? Not to mention I'm constantly late," she said with her head hung low.

"You're a lot stronger then Chloe Bourgeois thinks you are. You can do anything if you set your mind to it. You're Ladybug!" Tikki said, giving Marinette pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Tikki. I can always count on you," she said, nuzzling her kwami.

Tikki giggled as she removed herself from their embrace, and a mischievous grin appeared on her face. "Plus, maybe being class rep will give you the confidence to ask Adrien on a date."

"Tikki!" Marinette yelled.

* * *

"Chloe, I'm so proud of you for running for class rep again. I can't tell you how happy I am for you fallowing in your old man's footsteps. No matter how many times you run for class rep it always puts a smile on my face," Chloe's father said. "Have I ever told you the time I won my first election?"

"Yes, Daddy, I'm well aware of your stunning victory in your third grade class rep election," she said, smiling at her father. "Thanks for getting Jagged Stone to sign autographs." Chloe hugged her father until she saw Jean Paul wheeled out a two huge glass bowls. One of the bowls was filled with yellow sheets of paper while the other was empty.

"Jean Claude, what are you doing here, and why do you have all that stuff?" Chloe asked, walking up to her butler.

"Pardon me, mademoiselle. I was told by Miss Pauline that you needed to pay closer attention to the desires of your classmates, so she made these to help," he said, handing her a piece of paper.

Chloe grabbed it out of his hand and read the slip.

 _To receive one free ticket to Jagged Stone's concert please fill out the following._

 _Chloe, I think you should __

 _as class rep; because if you do you'll __

 _Thanks. Chloe's big sis, Pauline._

"Ah what a wonderful idea she had," Chloe's father said. "Not only can you get the vote out, but you can learn about what your friends want."

"Yeah, that sure is," Chloe said, holding back her frustration.

 _I really shouldn't be surprised she'd pull something like this. Well, too bad, because once I win, they're all going into the trash._

"Tell me, Chloe, am I ever going to meet this Pauline girl? You've mentioned her before, but I've never seen her at the hotel. I'd like to meet someone that cares for you this much," her dad said.

"Oh, sorry Daddykins. Pauline's kind of like you. She's always busy, but she makes time for me when she can," she said.

"Well I'm just glad you've got such a wonderful person in your life," he said.

"Is everything ready?" Jagged Stone's assistant, Penny, asked.

"Yes, you can open the doors now," Chloe said. The room quickly filled with the twenty or so students from her class. The only two exceptions were Adrien and Dupain-Cheng. Adrien had fencing to do, and Dupain-Cheng was probably too embarrassed to come. Chloe couldn't help but smile seeing Dupain-Cheng's best friend in line for an autograph.

"I would like to welcome you all to City Hall for the official launch of Chloe's campaign. I would also like to take the time to thank world famous singer, Jagged Stone for endorsing her," he said as Chloe and Jagged high-fived.

"And when you vote for me you'll get a free ticket for to his next concert," Chloe said.

"Yes, and don't forget to fill out those yellow slips of paper with your requests for my daughter and your future class representative," he said, giving his daughter a tight squeeze.

Chloe watched as the students got their autographs and deposited their yellow pieces of paper into the bowl. Not a single student didn't have a smile on their face. In the corner of her eye she spotted Dupain-Cheng and her friend talking.

Chloe couldn't help it. She marched right up to Dupain-Cheng and gave her the smuggest grin she could muster. "You know Marinette, I would have let you wait in line for an autograph; you didn't need to ask your sidekick to do it for you."

Marinette glared at her, shoving the autograph back into her friend's hands. "I didn't ask for the autograph, and I don't want it. You can't buy everyone's votes. A class rep should care about the students' problems."

"Firstly, how would you know what a class rep's responsibilities are? You've never won. Secondly, I'm pretty sure I can buy everyone's votes, seeing as how the entire class is here. Thirdly, I do care about what the students problems. My big sis went through all the trouble of getting the class to write down all their problems. Not only am I going to buy this election, but I'm even going to be a better class rep than you," Chloe said.

Before Marinette could respond, a chorus of trumpets rang through the building. The girls and everyone not waiting in line ran to the door to see an army of knights outside of City Hall.

"Oyez, oyez, Darkblade shall speak now," a knight in armor said.

A knight in red and black armor was yelling about his father being an usurper and how once his ancestor's flag flew atop City Hall, Paris would be his. Chloe took the time he was monologuing to get out of sight.

"Pollen, Buzz on!" Chloe said, transforming into her alter ego.

Running back into the room, Queen Bee cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "Okay, listen up people. For those of you who don't know, my name is Queen Bee, and I'm a superhero. I need you all to go ahead and hide while I take care of this bad guy. You can come out when it's safe again. The only people I need to stick around are Mayor Bourgeois, Jagged Stone, and the girl that writes the Ladyblog."

"Queen Bee's right; we should all go and hide while she takes care of things," Marinette said, running like a coward.

As the students fled the room to look for hiding spots, her father ran up to her as she made her way to the door. "Why must I stay? Surely you can handle this without me."

 _Because I want you to be proud of me when I'm Queen Bee._

"Darkblade's challenged you to a one-on-one fight. I'll fight him as your champion in your place." Chloe turned to her father and gave him an embarrassed smile. "Will you let me be your knight in shining armour?"

"Yes, fine. Just deal with that madman," he said.

"Okay, that covers him, but why me?" Ayla asked.

 _Because I'm sick of always having to introduce myself._

"Miss, you've run head first into danger. Even if I told you to go, you'd stick around. Also, if I can't stop Darkblade, your blog can get vital information to Ladybug and Chat Noir,"

"What about me?" Jagged asked.

Chloe smirked. "I need you so I can kick his ass to a beat."

Queen Bee opened the doors of City Hall. As she walked down the steps she gave the entire army of knights the smuggest grin she could. "Hear me. Hear me. I am Queen Bee, defender of Paris, protector of innocence, and champion of the noble House of Bourgeois. I will fight you on behalf of the mayor."

Darkblade strode to the base of City Hall to meet her. "Bourgeois you coward. You send a maiden to fight your battles."

 _ **Fight her, Darkblade, and take her Miraculous! I've had enough of this child's interference! I won't be stopped by her for a third time! This farce has gone on long enough!**_

"Very well, Hawk Moth." Darkblade drew his sword and pointed it at the girl. "I shall accept your challenge, girl. But once I defeat you I'll take your Miraculous."

"Ha, good luck. Not even Ladybug could take my Miraculous," she said, twirling her top.

Chat Noir ran past the army towards the two of them. "Queen Bee, I'm glad to see you. You think we can take this guy together?"

Queen Bee didn't take her eyes off of Darkblade. "No, I challenged him to a duel. You can't interfere, Chat."

Adrien gritted his teeth. _Of course Chloe would do that._

"Why would you do that? He's really tough. I couldn't beat him on my own; you don't stand a chance."

"I have to give it a shot, and at least this way I'm not fighting an entire army."Plus, I'm not just fighting for myself. I'm fighting for my family,"she said, whispering the last part to Chat.

 _Pollen, please tell me one of the past Queen Bees fought knights._

The two began to circle around one another, looking for an opening. "I'll give you one last chance to run. You need not fall for someone like Bourgeois."

Queen Bee chuckled at that. "Mayor Bourgeois is the best mayor Paris has ever had. He's done so much for this city."

Queen Bee lunged at Darkblade as they began their battle. Darkblade fought smart; every strike Queen Bee would throw at him he would simply deflect her and counter with a barrage of strikes.

"I was cheated. My ancestor ruled all of Paris; I deserve to as well," he said, continuing his attack. Darkblade deflected another attack and countered with a fierce set of strikes.

Queen Bee was forced on the defensive as all she could do was dodge. "He won the election fair and square. People love him. Just because one of your ancestors did something great doesn't mean you can ride on their coattails. Power isn't something you earn; you either have it or you don't, and you never had it to begin with."

Queen Bee tumbled out of the way of another attack and created some distance between the two of them.

Both combatants were breathing hard after the exchange. "Ha, he's not powerful. He sends a child to do his fighting for him. He's a spineless coward that spends all his time slaving over his daughter, giving that brat whatever she wants. He probably does it because if he doesn't she'll leave him just like his wife did."

 _You're going down._

"You don't know a thing about him! Sure, he spends his time helping his daughter, but he does it to help people her own age get the things they need for their community. He listens to people and gives them what they need. That's why he's the mayor and you're the biggest loser in all of Paris."

Queen Bee tossed her top once more at Darkblade, but before he could deflect it, she pulled the top's string, causing it to change course. Her attacks shifted from a trying to disarm him to trying to trip him or stun him.

"Why are you defending Bourgeois so valiantly? Not even a week ago he called you an uncontrollable wild child. Why fight for him?" he shouted as he dodged another attack.

"I don't care if he called me a wild child. I'm still going to protect him, and one day I'll prove him wrong," she said. Queen bee started to ricochet her top off the floor to increase the number of hits she was getting. They weren't doing much damage, but they did keep him at a distance.

"He doesn't deserve that kind of loyalty you show him," he said. Darkblade continued to dodge her attacks. The fight had shifted once again with her throwing her top only for him to leap out of the way of it and where it would ricochet.

"He doesn't have to ask for me to be his knight," she said. Queen Bee increased the tempo of the fight and began push him back until all he could do was defend.

Darkblade was forced to dodge the rapid-fire attack. Each blow was only countered at the last possible moment. One hit every ten attacks increased to two, then three, then four until Queen Bee managed to trip him up in her string.

"It's a shame I couldn't get you to see the light, but if you won't bend your knee willingly, I guess I'll have to force you to," Darkblade said as he shot a beam of energy at her.

The world disappeared as images flashed before her eyes. Chloe felt a burning heat from her Miraculous. A woman's voice could be heard in the distance, but she didn't understand a word she was saying. Chloe felt the vibrations in her throat as she screamed, but she could not hear herself. A deep and powerful hatred filled her, suffocating the little air she had in her lungs. Chloe heard a voice growl out.

 **I will never be anyone's slave ever again!**


	5. Getting the win (Part2)

Ladybug watched as Queen Bee was transformed into another knight. Just as she was about to step in, Queen Bee howled in anger. The armor that encased her body melted off of her by a glowing yellow light. Once the light vanished, Queen Bee glared at Darkblade.

" **I will never be anyone's slave ever again!"**

The moment her top hit the ground she disappeared. Queen Bee became a blur as she began to crash into him, ripping off pieces of his armor. She picked up Darkblade by the throat and began smash him into anything and everything. Ladybug recoiled every time she'd slam him into something. The non-mind controlled people watched in fear as Queen Bee continued to beat him.

Queen Bee tossed him into a group of his men and landed before him.

 **No human will ever be my master.**

Queen Bee lifted up her hand, ready to finish the fight, when whatever power she had gotten left her as quickly as it came.

"Bee!" Chat yelled as he rushed to her aid. Chat quickly took her into his arms and rushed over to Jagged. "Take her and head inside City Hall."

Darkblade stumbled to his feet. "Aaaaahhhh haaaa! V-viiiiiictory is miiiiiiine! Ssssoljas tack Ladybuh and Cha ner." His triumph was undercut when he fell onto one knee.

Chat Noir and Ladybug got into defensive stances as they began to fend off their attackers. "Got any ideas on how to beat this guy?" he asked.

"I've got a plan, but it's pretty lame. Right now all we have to do is fight and wait for an opening," she said.

Chat Noir and Ladybug fought their way up steps of City Hall into the building.

"Ha, you two squires are no match for me. Once my flag flies atop City Hall, all shall bow before Darkblade," he said, charging at the two heroes. Whatever damage Queen Bee had done to him was being erased as his armor began to repair itself.

"We need to make it to the top of City Hall. If he can't plant his flag on top of the roof, he can't get what he wants," Ladybug said as they began to retreat from the knights.

"Okay, I get making him mad, but that won't stop him," Chat said.

Marinette smiled. "Yeah, that's what I'm counting on. If we get him mad, he'll give up attacking the mayor and will go after us."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing," he said.

"Don't worry, I've worked it all out. Once he can't get what he wants, he'll be so mad that he'll attack us. You'll draw his attention and I'll lasso him up to the building."

"And once he doesn't have his army, he's going to be a lot easier to beat," he said, finishing her sentence.

"Yeah, kinda lame huh?" she said.

"Nah, it's absolutely pawesome," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Ladybug rolled her eyes at the pun, but she still smiled at his comment.

They didn't have long to wait. Darkblade and his knights made their way onto the roof. "I'll give you one chance: Darkblade, give up," Ladybug said.

"Never! You two can't beat me," Darkblade said, drawing his sword.

"Yeah, you might be right about that, but I'm kind of a sore loser. If all you want is your flag on top of City Hall, I think I can stop that. Chat, do your thing!"

With one simple swipe, Chat Noir destroyed the flagpole and roof.

The debris from the attack did a poor job cushioning their fall as all the combatants fell into different rooms. Before either hero could get their bearings they heard a voice yell out.

"Curse you Ladybug! You may have stopped my plan, but I can still have my revenge. Soldiers, bring me Bourgeois; I want that coward brought before me!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other and sprinted after where they heard Darkblade.

"We need a new plan, and fast," he said.

"I've got an idea. Get the mayor and bring him to the underground parking lot. I've got to do some setup," she said, breaking away from her partner.

Chat Noir leapt over the roofless walls of City Hall to find where the mayor was hiding. Running atop the support beams, Chat made it to the mayor as he was being accosted by three knights.

"Let me go! Let me go! You can't do this to me; I'm the mayor!" he yelled.

Adrien felt anger well up in him as they began to forcefully drag Chloe's father. He and Mr. Bourgeois might not have been close, but seeing someone he'd known his entire life being attacked ticked him off. Chat Noir leapt off the beam and quickly beat the three knights back.

"Chat Noir! Thank heavens!" Mr. Bourgeois said.

"Mister Mayor, we need to get you out of here." Chat Noir picked up the man and carried him across the support beams. Adrien grimaced when he heard the cries for help from his fellow students.

 _Focus Adrien! If your classmates get caught they will get turned into knights. If Mr. Bourgeois gets caught, he's a goner._

Chat leapt over to the elevator shafts. "Hold on tight!" he said. He took a quick breath before he dropped down from floor to floor using the elevators as platforms until he hit the basement floor.

* * *

Ladybug watched as Chat Noir ran into the flooded basement with a confused look on his face. "Chat, over here!" Ladybug waved to him while pushing a car into a odd angle.

"Is everything ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, it should be. I broke the pipes down here, and I used my Lucky Charm to get some sealing foam to flood the place. Everything should be in place. All we need now is..."

"I grow weary of these games, child. Give me the mayor!" Darkblade said.

"Chat, keep the mayor high and dry. I've got this," Ladybug yelled at her partner.

Ladybug leapt into the waters, drawing Darkblade's army towards her. Marinette clenched her jaw as she saw the army had a few shorter knights than before.

 _Sorry for what's about to happen, guys._

"Is that all you've got, Darkblade? Hawk Moth must be pulling from the bottom of the barrel if this is all you've got."

"I will not have my honor sullied any further. Have at thee," he said, rushing at her.

Ladybug leapt out of the way of his blows as he continued to swing at her. "Where's all that bluster now, girl? It seems you and the false queen have more in common. Then again, she put up more of a fight," he said, taunting her.

"Oh, I'm way better than her," Ladybug said.

"That has yet to be seen. All you've done is jump around. She at least got in a few hits in. That's more than you and the boy," he said.

"Yeah, but that's the difference between her and I; I'll take you down with one hit. Ladybug tossed her yo-yo at Darkblade. The toy ricocheted off the cars and posts of the parking lot until it hit the car she had moved, then vanished out of sight.

"Truly impressive," he said.

"Just wait. One hit," she said, still holding the string.

Chat Noir watched as Ladybug and everyone in the water cried out in pain. "Ladybug!" he yelled making his way over to his friend.

"Stay away! The water's still electrified!" Ladybug clenched her teeth and pulled her yo-yo until her string went limp. Ladybug looked around at all the downed knights before she fell into the water. _Everyone's safe._

Chat pulled Ladybug out of the water and cradled her. "I flooded the parking lot and put that car there so my yo-yo could bounce off of it and hit a transformer on a utility pole. I figured they would be weak to electricity."

Chat Noir looked at her with concern and awe. "So you lured them here knowing you'd take the hit."

Ladybug smiled weakly to him. "Yeah, now hurry while they're still out. Grab the sword and let's wrap this up."

* * *

"Thank you both for saving me," Chloe's father said. "I don't know what I would have done if not for the two of you."

"Oh, it's no big deal; we're just happy to help whenever someone is in need, sir," Chat said.

"Speaking of someone being in need, my darling Chloe is a huge fan. Would you mind signing an autograph?" he asked, holding out a pen and paper. "Thank you again. You two are the only heroes Paris needs. Without you two, I don't know what would have happened."

Chat winced at the praise. "Hey, Queen Bee helped too," Chat said.

"Ha. You're too modest, Chat Noir. Queen Bee tried her best, but she's nothing compared to you two," he said, giving the boy a pat on the back.

"Mayor B-"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off with the beeping of his ring. "I have to go."

* * *

Chloe squinted as her eyes adjusted to the bright light of City Hall. She didn't feel any pain; rather she was just exhausted. Chloe groaned when she tried to get up, but the dizziness in her head promptly forced her down.

"You're awake! " Sabrina said, rushing up to her friend. A group of students from her class rushed up to crowd her as well.

Dread erupted in Chloe. Being beaten by a supervillain, and getting unmasked by the losers at school on the same day was the worst possible thing ever to happen to her. A wave of nausea rose up in her until she saw her gloved hand come up. "What the heck happened?"

"You were kicking Darkblade's butt, but then you collapsed. After that, Jagged Stone and I brought you here while Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the day," Ayla said, taking a seat next to her.

"Ladybug saved the day?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, judging by the swarm of ladybugs that fixed the vending machine, I'd say so. You want some by the way?" Ayla asked, handing her some candy.

"Thanks," Chloe said, taking the candy. Chloe began to nibble on the candy to get something in her stomach.

"Don't worry about it. It's the least we can do. But if anyone deserves your thanks, it's Sabrina," the girl said, pointing to Sabrina.

"Sabrina?"

Sabrina walked through the crowd and gave her a small wave. "Hi, Queen Bee. When they brought you here I kept everyone away from you; nobody got close to you."

"Yeah, when we got here everyone crowded around you until she yelled at everyone to back away. When a kid tried to unmask you she said, _"If you even think about touching that mask again, I'll personally make sure you you're in a jail cell by the end of the night._ She protected you when you were out cold."

"Thank you, miss. That was very kind of you," she said, truly grateful to her friend. Chloe tried to get up, but the exhaustion still set in. Chloe instead settled for sitting upright on the couch.

Ayla looked hesitantly at the girl before deciding whether or not to pester her. "Uh, I know this might be a bad time, but would you mind an interview?"

 _Press 101: Control the narrative._

Chloe sighed. "Well, I'm not going anywhere for the time being, so go for it," she said, smiling playfully.

The girl whipped out her phone and began to record. "Let's start with an easy one. Tell the people of Paris: Who are you?"

"Queen Bee."

"Do your powers work the same as Chat Noir and Ladybug's?"

"There's a lot of overlap between our powers, but the big difference is that I've got the power to immobilize people and I can fly."

"Are you two friends?"

"No, we've only me twice, and both times were spent punching other people. We haven't had a chance to really talk."

"Do you plan to work with Ladybug?"

Chloe winced at this. "We have our differences."

"What are those difference?"

Chloe actually thought about why did Ladybug have it out for her for a moment. "I don't mind being a bit rougher with villains because she can undo any damage that we do to the akumatized person."

"Akuma? Does that mean you're going to help with fighting Hawk Moth?"

"Of course I will. I can't let Hawk Moth terrorize my city."

Ayla looked away for a moment before she asked softly. "One final question: what happened out there?"

 _I wish I knew._

"I was fighting the mind control, but all I could do was change it from hurting innocent people to hurting the villain," she said.

"Thanks, it's an honor getting to interview you," Ayla said shaking her hand.

Chloe looked around at all the kids in her class, and a devious thought entered her mind. "No problem, but now I have a question for you: why were so many kids at City Hall?" she asked, looking around the room.

"This is Chloe Bourgeois' campaign party!" Sabrina said.

Chloe did her best to feign ignorance. "Bourgeois? As in the Mayor?"

"Yep, that's the one. His daughter Chloe is running for class rep," Sabrina said, falling in line with her friend's plan.

Chloe stood up and cleared her throat. "Listen up. I, Queen Bee, am throwing my full support behind Mayor Bourgeois' daughter. Vote for Chloe!"

* * *

Adrien walked through the doors of City Hall. "Sorry I'm late. I got mind controlled; it was a real Knightmare."

"Adrikins, you came!" Chloe said, hugging him.

Adrien let the hug last longer then he normally would before he pried her off of him. "Yeah, of course I came. Great job, by the way. I heard you fought Darkblade alone," he said, whispering the last part.

Chloe shot him a glare, but before he could do damage control, Ayla interrupted. "Chloe, where were you? You totally disappeared when everything was going down!"

Chloe glared at the other girl with a look of frustration, exhaustion, and barely contained hatred. "I left the room to find a hiding spot like Queen Bee told us to. I would have been here sooner, but when Chat Noir destroyed the roof he ruined my outfit."

Ayla scowled, not backing down from the other girl. "Well, great job. As class rep you should have helped lead us."

 _I have had it! I am not taking this kind of crap from Marinette Dupain-Cheng's sidekick!_

"Ugh! I can't believe you. When a superhero gives you instructions, you follow them," she said.

"Hey, both of you relax. Chloe's right; she shouldn't have to hold your hand to get to a hiding space," Adrien said, placing himself between the two girls.

Chloe smirked at Ayla as Adrien defended her. "Thanks, does this mean I can count on your vote, Adierkins?"

Adrien winced and sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, you handled yourself well in a crisis."

"Listen up, class; Adrien is voting for me as class rep!" Chloe said, yelling as loud as she could.

"Adrien, you're voting for Chloe?" Marinette asked.

Adrien didn't need to turn around to see the hurt look on her face.

"Of course he is; I always get what I want," Chloe said. After everything that happened today, beating Marinette made up for it.

Adrien sidestepped Chloe. "It's not that, it's just..."

 _She risked her life to save everyone._

"...Chloe's been my friend since we were kids."

* * *

Marinette flopped down in her bed. "I can't believe Adrien's going to vote for Chloe."

"Cheer up, Marinette you can still win," Tikki said.

Marinette scoffed at her kwami. "I doubt it. Chloe's got Jagged Stone, Adrien, and Queen Bee all supporting her."

"Yeah, but none of them can vote in the election," she countered.

Marinette just buried herself further into her pillow. "Adrien can. I can't believe that she's going to win again."

Tikki sighed. "Maybe there's a lesson to be learned in all this. Maybe it's time for you to start fighting harder for what you want."

"I know. I know. It's just that this was supposed to be an easy win," Marinette said. She knew her faults better than anyone. She told herself this everyday, but changing was still hard.

"Look on the bright side: you saved the day when Queen Bee failed to," she said.

Marinette smiled at that; she knew that she shouldn't take joy in the other girl's failure, but saving day helped put her world back into focus a little. "Thanks, Tikki. Let's get some air."

Ladybug leapt through the streets of Paris with no direction in mind. Without even realizing it; she had ran to her normal meeting spot with Chat Noir. A part of her hoped her partner would come out of nowhere and keep her company. Chloe's condescending look once again popped into her mind.

 _Why is it that all the worst people in the world always get what they want?_

Marinette came back into reality when she saw Adrien walking down the street from City Hall.

 _I always get what I want._

 _Maybe it's time you start fighting harder for what you want._

 _It's not that, it's just Chloe's been my friend since we were kids._

A spark of irritation flared up inside her again. The next thing she knew, she landed in front of Adrien.

"Ladybug?" Adrien asked once he got over the heroine's arrival.

"Yeah, I saw you walking and thought you could maybe possibly enjoy walking with me," Marinette said.

Adrien smiled at her. "Uh, sure, I'd love to walk with you."

* * *

"Mademoiselle, your afternoon tea," Jean Paul said, pouring her tea.

"Yes, Jean Claude, you may leave now," she said.

"Of course, madame. Though I must inform you that I have taken the liberty of collecting all of the suggestions you received and have placed them on your desk," he said, bowing before he took his leave.

Pollen flew out from Chloe's purse to her dollhouse.

"I had them bring up honey-apple cake. Do you want some?"

"No thank you, my queen. I really need to focus on my work," Pollen said as she began to paint her dollhouse.

Chloe watched her kwami work on her home. When she had Jean Paul bring the old thing out of storage, the paint had begun to flake away. Initially she wanted to toss the thing in the trash, but Pollen insisted they keep it. She said that she liked fixing things. And so began the seven week, one-kwami restoration project.

"Need some help with painting?' Chloe asked her kwami.

Pollen didn't even bother to turn around as she continued with her work. "No, thank you. I like painting; it helps put things in perspective."

"Well, can we talk while you paint?" Chloe asked, getting up from her chair.

Pollen bristled at the suggestion. "Can this wait?"

"I want to know what happened out there," she said, moving closer towards her kwami.

"I...

"I'm sorry about that. I promise I won't take over again. You don't have to worry," Pollen said.

Chloe's expression softened. "Pollen, I'm not scared of you taking over. It's what you were feeling. I never felt that kind of anger before. What I'm trying to say is: if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Thank you for your kind words, but I'm not ready to talk. Those are old wounds. I need some time," she said as she continued to paint.

Chloe knelt down beside her kwami and looked into her eyes. "Okay, I'll be patient. I'll wait for you."

"Thank you...

...Chloe."

"Ha, you shouldn't be thanking me just yet. You and I need to go through all those suggestions my classmates made."


	6. Volpina's Debut

**Recap**

Chloe is a semi hated superheroine, but after beating Darkblade within an inch of his life her shakey reputation has taken a nosedive.

Adrien is torn between his friendship with Chloe and his responsibility as a hero.

Marinette has started talking to Adrien as Ladybug. She also is losing her patience with Queen Bee.

Pollen is recovering after she lost control violently attacked Darkblade.

* * *

Adrien walked through the halls of his home; he suppressed a shiver as a cold breeze flowed through him. His father insisted on keeping the house cold; it apparently kept the fabric in better condition, but he never believed that. A memory of his mother yelling at his father to raise the temperature came to mind, warming him slightly as he continued onward.

"No! No! How could you possibly ruin this? It's a pattern; it shouldn't be that hard to get it right! No, he's a fool; I'll come over and fix this myself." Adrien hid behind his father's door as he watched him yell at the poor soul who had the misfortune to displease him. He watched his father gather his things and place them in a safe behind the painting of his mother before storming out of the room.

Once his father was down the hall, Adrien made his way into his father's office. "I had no idea there's a safe behind my mother's portrait."

"Well, what do you think is inside?" Plagg asked.

"I don't know," he said. Adrien placed his hand on his mother's portrait. He pressed down on it and felt the push back of the release mechanism. Adrien was ready to open the door when he looked up at his mother's eyes.

"Adrien, are you okay?" Plagg asked. "Come on, don't you want to see what's in that safe?"

"This is a bad idea. I should leave," he said, picking up his things.

Plagg groaned in frustration. "No way! You want to know what's in the safe and you should." Plagg flew through the safe and opened it. "If you don't do it now, you'll never ask your dad about what's in the safe."

Adrien looked at the open safe door. He could leave right now and nobody would know he was there. He could walk out the door and talk to his father later that night. He could explain what he saw. He could ask his father. He could do the right thing.

All of his anticipation died as soon as he opened the door. There was nothing inside besides two books, a piece of paper, and a picture of his mom.

Adrien reached for the older looking book. It was a picture book with what looked to be heroes. Each page had a hero and with a tiny description written next to them in a language he did not understand.

"Adrien, where are you? You're going to be late for school!"

Adrien panicked when he heard Natalie's voice. He quickly shoved the book into his bag and ran to his limo.

When the limo door closed, Plagg flew out from his pocket, "Well that was weird."

"Yeah, I can't believe my dad had a book on superheroes," he said while leafing through the book.

Plagg narrowed his eyes, "It wasn't just a book. He had a replica of the peacock Miraculous and a book on Tibet, the previous home of the guardians."

"Plagg, what are you getting at?" he asked.

Plagg stared at Adrian for a moment before he laughed and said, "Relax, it could be anything. Maybe your dad plans on selling stuff based on the Miraculouses. Maybe he started looking into where Ladybug and Chat Noir came from. Or maybe he's had the book longer than you two have been heroes. All we know for sure is that your dad has a book on Miraculouses. Plus, if your dad was up to anything why would he create a fake Miraculous?"

"Maybe it's a prototype for a new product? It wouldn't be the first time he's had one of those made," Adrien said. "Anyway, I doubt it would be useful to him. I've never seen this language before."

"Oh, you won't find a translation for that anywhere in the world. The only people who understood that language were the guardians," Plagg said.

"So this is useless?" he asked.

"No, the Guardians were the only _people_ that understood the language; I didn't say they were the only ones capable of reading it," he said.

"Plagg, that's great. You know how to read this book!"

"I do."

"And you could tell me what it means?"

"I can."

"Okay, great, so you can tell me what this means?"

"Maybe for some camembert," he said with a devilish grin.

* * *

Pollen sat in her bathtub as the water filled the tub. The events from a few days replayed in her mind. Ever since the incident, Chloe had been less talkative. She only called on her when it was time to eat. Chloe had done her lessons for the day and then let her hide away in her dollhouse. Pollen sank under the water and let out a stream of bubbles.

 _I need to make it up to her._

When Pollen flew out of her dollhouse, she saw Chloe putting on the last of her makeup. "Good morning my Queen," she said, giving her a quick bow.

Chloe got up from her seat and gave her kwami a smile. "Morning Pollen, ready for breakfast?"

"Yes," she said, "though I thought we'd do something special."

"If it's dessert for breakfast you can forget it, daddy told the servants to not let me do that on school days when I was six," Chloe said.

"No, it has nothing to do with breakfast, it's just I want to thank you for giving me time to cope with my trauma. After breakfast I'll give it to you a present."

"Pollen, you don't need to do that. I'm your partner. If you need time to recover, I can wait." They entered the dining hall where their food was left waiting for them. The two ate in silence like they normally did, but much to Pollen's amusement she could see Chloe eat a little faster than she normally did.

As the two walked through the hallway, Pollen phased through a door. Before Chloe could speak, she heard a click from the other side of the door. Chloe found herself in her storage room. The entire room was filled with old toys her father refused to get rid of. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she remembered the memories of getting some of these toys."Pollen, what are we doing in here?"

"We need to get something before you get your present," she said. Pollen flew ahead of her, weaving above the mountain of toys and stopped before a large object covered in a tarp.

"You can't be serious?" Chloe said, knowing exactly what was under that tarp.

"You said you knew how to use this."

"Well yeah, but I only got it so I could spend time with Adrien."

"Well, we need it now if you want your present."

"Fine, let's just get this over with," Chloe said dismissively.

After a few odd glances and a curt nod to the doorman, Chloe hopped on her moped rode along to the park. "Okay, the coast is clear. Why'd you want me to bring out this thing?"

"You'll see. Just transform into Queen Bee."

" **Pollen Buzz on**!" Chloe transformed into her normal superhero self, but the yellow light hadn't faded, instead it wrapped around her moped and started to transform it. The tiny wheels expanded as the tires became larger with a honeycomb design. The moped's chassis expanded and lengthened as the rounded curves of her moped became more angular ones. The cute little lights shifted to look like a pair of fierce eyes.

Chloe ran her hands along the bike. She knew Pollen could transform her clothing into a super-suit, but turning her moped into a motorcycle was something else. Chloe placed her hands on the bike's throttle and gave it a tentative push. The engine sounded like a bumblebee buzzing and as the vibrations pulsed through her she knew this wasn't the first time Pollen had done something like this. Chloe grinned as she pushed the handle full throttle, racing out of the park.

* * *

Chloe and her group marched up the stairs to the roof. The stairwell was absolutely filthy; dust covered the floor, there was a cobweb under the third staircase, and whenever it rained there was a puddle from the leaky roof. A part of her wanted to complain to the principal about the state of the stairwell, but explaining how and why she cared about a place she shouldn't be would hardly be easy.

"I'm so glad you want to hang out. It's been ages since we've had lunch together Adrikins," Chloe said, hugging his arm.

"It's been two weeks," he said.

"I know, right? It's practically an eternity. Plus, this is the first time we've had lunch at school. You're so distant when we're here."

Adrien could feel his cheeks warm with guilt and embarrassment. He wasn't avoiding her, it's just that they hung out with other people. "I know. I'll try harder. It's just that you and I can see each other whenever we want." The group exited the stairwell and made their way over to Chloe's private table.

Chloe scolded him. "Well, you should say 'yes' when I ask that you hang out."

"Hey, that's not fair. I've agreed to lots of times. It's just that you don't want to hang out with my friends," he said playfully.

Chloe frowned. "Yeah, of course, I don't. Dupain-Cheng's been a pain in my butt for years."

"Marinette's great, she's a good friend. I know you two don't get along, but maybe if you two talked you might find something in common," he said. Look, Chloe, I didn't come here to argue; I came here to show you something." Adrien pulled out the old book and handed it to Chloe.

"What is it?" Sabrina asked.

"It's a book about the Miraculouses; a friend explained to me that it's some sort of spellbook. Maybe you could use it to help you fight crime?" he said.

"Thank you Mr. Agreste, but we won't need that book," Pollen said. "My Queen, will you please give me my lunch."

"Wait, why?" he asked.

"Yeah, if this book can give us more power, why don't we use it?" Chloe said.

"Do you remember that time you gave me my phone?" she asked.

"Yeah, you and Sabrina spent the entire day ordering stuff online. You made a bunch of awful drinks."

"And then I had you transform repeatedly into different versions of Queen Bee. Those were all the spells in the book. You've already used all the transformations in that book," she said sounding rather bored.

"Oh, well that book's completely useless. Sorry Adrikins, but we don't need this book," she said handing the book back to him. "Thanks for trying to help."

"If you've known to transform into different versions of Queen Bee, why didn't you give that to Chat Noir and Ladybug?" he asked.

"There was never a real need to. We kwami can transform into previous versions of our-

"Chloe! You can't be serious. Chat Noir and Ladybug are heroes," Adrien said, pleading with his friend.

"Uh. They suck. Ladybug is a judgemental jerk, and Chat Noir once threatened to take away my Miraculous. I don't see why I should be the one to have to go out of my way to help them. I already help them stop bad guys sometimes. Why do I have to give them a power-up?"

"Chloe, that's what a superhero would do," Sabrina said. "If you have the chance to help someone you should take it, right?"

"Fine, we'll give them the potions," she said. "Pollen, the lesson of the day is: doing what's right doesn't always make you feel good.

* * *

Adrien sat in the library flipping through his book. There were so many heroes in the book. Where were they all? Did the guardian have the Miraculouses or were they missing? The book just highlighted how little he knew about what was really going on. Pollen knew he was Chat Noir and was keeping that from Chloe.

Did Plagg know Chloe was Queen Bee and kept that from him? Did he know who Ladybug was? Did Ladybug know who he was?

The more he thought about it the more distressing the situation became. He couldn't trust anyone to give him honest answers. Plagg might have been keeping secrets from him, Ladybug had a mountain of secrets she kept, and Pollen probably didn't even trust Chloe with her secrets.

Adrien groaned in frustration. _This is crazy. Plagg and Ladybug are my friends. I just need to ask them what's going on._

"Adrien?"

The boy looked up to see Lila standing next to him. "Are you okay? You looked upset. Is everything alright?"

Adrien smiled at the girl. Lila, like he and Chloe, was a child of Paris' elite, but unlike him, she actually got to interact with the other kids their age. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

"About superheroes I presume," she said, leaning down at the book. "Let me guess, you're a fan of Ladybug. Or do you prefer Queen Bee?"

"Yeah, I mean no. I mean, it's complicated," he said.

"Well luckily, for you, I like complicated. Come on, tell me what's so complicated about having a favorite hero?" she said, taking a seat next to him.

Adrien looked at her warm smile and let out a sigh. "Well, I really like Ladybug, but my friend started to hate her. Now another friend of mine hates Queen Bee, so now I have to play peacekeeper and stop them from fighting. It's gotten so bad that the two don't even want to be in the same room as one another. If they find out that I'm friends with the other friend they'll get mad at me for taking their side.

"Wow, your friends are really into superheroes," she said. "Personally, I'd go with Ladybug; she saved me and we've been close ever since then. Not to mention Queen Bee's caused crime to skyrocket and she attacked a journalist. But I think you should give your friends some space once they calm down about superheroes."

"Ha! I'd like that, but Ladybug and Queen Bee are huge parts of their identities. All I want is for them to get along, but the two just can't see eye to eye. I mean my friend, the one who likes Queen Bee, is really rough around the edges, but she's really passionate and always gives a hundred percent. And my other friend is one of the most compassionate and caring people I know. It's just whenever they interact it always ends badly."

"Sounds tough," she said.

"Yeah, it is. Thanks, Lila, I really needed to get this stuff off my chest," he said, giving her a weak smile.

"Hey, I don't need superpowers to help," she said.

The alarm on Adrien's phone rang. "Sorry, I've got to go to fencing." Adrien and Lila began to pack his things, but in the rush he dropped his bag. After picking up his things, Adrien began to walk away only to turn around and hug Lila, "Thanks, I really needed that, Lila, you're a good friend."

"Yeah, sure," she said, embracing the boy. When Adrien was out of sight Lila picked up the old book and began to flip through it. 

* * *

Chloe watched the video of Volpina saving all of Paris for the third time that day. "So what are we dealing with here, Pollen?"

"Another of my fellow kwami."

"The guardian sent out another hero?" Chloe asked.

"No, I doubt this was the guardian. Trixx the fox Kwami. He has the power to create illusions. He wouldn't like a girl like this, and she definitely isn't worthy of a Miraculous," she said.

"Hey, I doubt Ladybug thinks I'm worthy of being a Miraculous holder. Maybe the fox decided to give it to a girl like me."

"My Queen, pretty much everything you just said was wrong. Firstly, that girl is a liar; she faked that accident to look like a hero. Secondly, Trixx would never willingly work with someone who abused his powers like that. Finally, I think you are more than worthy to be my Queen, no matter what Ladybug or the other kwami think," she said.

Chloe smiled and said. "Well, what do we do?"

"We have to take her down and rescue Trixx," Pollen said, "my Queen, I know you're going to hate this, but I think that we should call Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"No, we can take her. I am not going to be saved by Ladybug for a third time!" she said.

"My Queen, with all due respect, Nooru, Trixx, Deesu are the only kwami I can't defeat. Their powers are tailor-made to defeat me. Volpina will destroy you," she said.

Chloe glared Pollen when she heard a knock at the door. "What? I'm busy!"

"Wow, somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Adrien said, walking into the room.

Chloe's cheeks burned red hearing Adrien's voice. "Adrikins, I'm sorry. It's just been really stressful."

"Yeah, the complete and utter destruction of the world will do that to ya," he said.

"Ha, don't worry about that. It was all an illusion, turns out there's another Miraculous at play," she said.

"Another Miraculous?" he asked.

 _Please let it not be who I think it is._

"Yeah, it's the fox one. It has the power to create Illusions," she said as if she was talking about the weather and not another Miraculous. "Pollen and I will hunt her down when she shows up and we'll get back the Miraculous."

"Actually, I might be able to help with that," he said. Chloe and Pollen turned to see him. "You see, when I was in the park today, Lila said that she was the descendant of a powerful vixen superhero, and now all of a sudden Volpina shows up."

"Uhh! You have got to be kidding me. Lila Rossi is a superhero too!" Chloe yelled.

"My Queen calm yourself. We're going to take away her Miraculous," she said. "Thank you, Mr. Agreste, your services might just prove to be invaluable. We'll look up where Lila lives and I'll go and retrieve the necklace."

"By yourself? That could be dangerous. Maybe you should take someone with you," Adrien said.

"Adrien, Pollen and I can stop some fake superhero," Chloe said.

"Chloe, why are you so against Chat Noir and Ladybug?" he asked.

"Adrien, you're being ridiculous. I just think that we can handle this on our own," she said.

"My Queen, with all due respect I think that Mr. Agreste might have a point. I wasn't lying when I said that Trixx could beat me in a fight. Maybe I should have some help. I have never beaten a miraculous holder with his power," she said.

"Fffine, we can call Chat for help," she said, putting extra emphasis on the f.

"Oh, I don't think that Chat will be necessary. I'll ask Plagg for help," she said.

"Wait, is this all just a plan so you can spend time with your boyfriend?" Chloe asked.

"Boyfriend?" Adrien asked.

"Mr. Agreste, Plagg is my ex-boyfriend. We haven't dated in centuries," Pollen said. "My Queen, the reason I selected Chat Noir was he already knows who you are, so he could escort me to Lila's home or wherever we find her, and Plagg and I can retrieve the Miraculous. Once we rescue Trixx, I can return safely home. Or would you rather we reach out to Ladybug and expose who you are?"

"Fine, go on your date with that scruffy alley cat,"

"Very well, I'll contact Plagg," she said flying into her dollhouse.

"Okay, now that she's gone will you please tell me what's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing's going on. I just don't need anyone's help to be a hero," she said.

"I helped you get Volpina's name, Pollen figured out she was a bad guy, and Plagg is going to help get Trixx back. Chloe, you're not alone," he said.

Chloe looked at him for a moment before she let out a sigh sitting on her bed. "It's not that. It's just that I just want to prove I can do something on my own for once without screwing up. Every time I've fought a villain I've always needed to be saved or I do something wrong. I just want to be the big hero for once."

Adrien gave Chloe a one-armed hug ."You beat Wordsmith on your own. Chloe, I get wanting to be a hero, and I know you've made your mistakes, but the thing that makes you better than all the other heroes is that you never give up."

"You really think I'm better than Ladybug?" she said looking up at him.

"Right now, no, but if you try your hardest I'm sure you'll be better than her one day," he said.

"Thanks, you really know how to make a girl feel appreciated."

* * *

Chat Noir landed on the balcony of the Grand Paris. He spotted Chloe on her bed reading a fashion magazine while listening to headphones. As he went to open the door, he found the door to be locked.

 _Come on, Chloe, this is just immature._

Adrien tapped on the glass to get her attention. Much to his annoyance, this didn't seem to work, since she was blissfully unaware of his presence. Right as he was about to call her Chloe looked up from her book at the window to see him.

Chloe walked over to the door and unlocked it. "Sorry I didn't see you there," she said. It would've been more convincing if she didn't have a smug look on her face.

"You know I could've smashed the window if I wanted to," he said.

"Yes, and I'm sure Ladybug and the rest of Paris would love to hear why you just had to break into the Mayor's daughter's room in the middle of the night,"

"Chloe, I get that you're mad about the whole Darkblade thing, but taking it out on me won't change anything," he said.

"Whatever. Pollen, come out here," she said.

"Good evening, noble Miraculous holder," she said, giving him a bow.

"Hi, Pollen."

"Enough with the small talk; we've got a mission. **Pollen, BUZZ On**!" Chloe said transforming into Queen Bee.

"Chloe, what are you doing?" he asked.

"You don't really think I'd let you take Pollen to wherever you want? Once we find where Volpina is, you and I will split up, and transform back to our civilian forms while our kwami take care of the mission," she said, making her way to the door.

The two leapt through the city. "Not flying today?" he asked.

"I'm waiting for a call. Sabrina's looking out for Volpina sighting. The police have developed an app to keep track of all superhero activity. Once a cop spots her we'll know her location before anyone else."

"She must be really useful to have around," he said.

"She's not useless."

"I'll take that as Chloe-speak for she's incredibly useful," he said, "I hate to do this, but we don't need Sabrina to tell us where she's going to be. She's meeting Adrien Agreste at the park."

"She's doing what?!"

"When I was tracking her earlier I heard her talking on the phone with Adrien. He agreed to meet her. I talked with Adrien and we agreed to get you, so we would fight Volpina together."

"Okay, so the new, new plan is that we go to the park and blindside her."

"No, we're sticking to the plan," Chat said.

Queen Bee stopped and glared at Chat. "Adrien Agreste is my best friend; I'm not going to put him in danger."

"Adrien can take care of himself," Chat said.

"I don't care. I'm not going to go along with any plan that puts my Adrikins in harm's way."

Chat sighed. "Chloe, Adrien didn't want to go along with the plan even when I offered to get Ladybug involved; he only agreed to be bait if you were the one to protect him." Chloe continued to glare at him as she continued on her way.

The two heroes separated once they reached the park. Queen Bee checked to make sure the coast was clear before she hid behind a tree and transformed into her civilian form.

"I'll be taking my leave, my Queen," Pollen said, as she flew towards where Chat Noir and Plagg were.

It didn't take long before she spotted Adrien walking along the path. He looked anxious as he made his way to a bench. He kept looking into the forest as if he were looking for something.

 _This was a terrible idea._

* * *

Pollen flew away from Chloe towards Chat Noir. The boy looked to be nervous, though to be fair, transforming in the middle of a park wasn't the most ideal place to do it. "Mr. Agreste, you need to relax. Once Volpina arrives, Plagg and I will handle this."

"Yeah, Polly and I will have this whole thing wrapped up in no time, you just enjoy your date," Plagg said.

"Plagg! This isn't a date, She just wants to set the record straight," Adrien said.

They followed Adrien as they made their way through the trees. "So what did you want to talk about?" Plagg asked.

"Talk?"

"You wouldn't have called me here if you didn't have something to say. It's not your style to waste time," Plagg said.

The two kwami looked at each other for a moment. "I didn't call you because I had something to talk about; I called you because you were my best choice. My ward wants to prove she doesn't need Ladybug to be a hero," she said. "I just took the path of least resistance."

Plagg sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thought that you set this up."

"No, this wasn't me. The last time I had seen Trixx, he and the other kwami were together."

"Yeah, poor guy, he finally gets let out of the box only for him to get such a bad partner," she said.

"I wonder how she fooled the Guardian into giving her a Miraculous?"

"Lying, duh. She's already lied about that necklace. She said her family's had it for generations and that she got it from her grandmother."

"Maybe she isn't lying. What if the Guardian gave her the Miraculous because her grandmother was a Miraculous holder?"

"I doubt it. Who was the Trixx's partner back then?"

"I don't know. I was in America. Trixx did fight in the war. Maybe he went through a couple of holders while we were away."

"Hey, Polly."

"Yeah?"

How close were you to Adrien before you sensed me?

"I don't know, a couple of meters. Why?"

"This isn't good." 

* * *

Adrien sat on a park bench and waited for Lila to show up. He played with his phone, absentmindedly checking random updates. His thoughts drifted to Lila. She seemed nice enough. She really didn't need to fake an emergency to be a hero or get him to like her. Adrien smiled to himself. Lila and Chloe tried to impress him by being heroes. For a second he wondered if Ladybug did the same thing, but he knew she didn't. Ladybug didn't need to go out of her way to impress anyone.

"Adrien, you came!" Lila said.

"Yeah, of course, I came. You're today's big hero after all."

"Yeah, I guess I am," she said rather sheepishly.

"I just hope we don't have to worry about more meteors anytime soon," he said playfully.

"Don't worry I'll protect you," flexing her bicep.

"Hey, speaking of protecting; why did you want to become a hero?" I mean Chat Noir once said he fights crime to help people. Queen Bee does it because it's fun. Why do you do it?

"It's in my blood, my grandmother was a hero I just want to follow in her footsteps."

"It must be tough having that kind of legacy on your shoulders."

"Yeah, ever since I was small my mom would tell me the stories of Volpina. I just wanted a chance to be a hero."

"I know what it's like to come from greatness. My mom was an actress, and every time I do an interview, people bring up if I want to go into acting. I laugh and say maybe. I really want to, but the truth is I suck at acting. It's cool that you get to live the dream."

"Thanks, you're a nice guy, Adrien."

"Ya know, I don't care about care if you do suck at acting. I'd go and watch an Adrien Agreste movie," she said.

"Even if it sucked?"

"I'd lie and tell you were amazing."

"You don't need to lie to me or anyone. Lila, the tru-"

"Oh My Gosh, it's Volpina!" 

* * *

Queen Bee walked towards Lila and Adrien. The two teens got up out of their seats as Queen bee approached. Queen Bee launched herself at the other girl and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm a huge fan."

Lila pushed the other girl away from her. "Queen Bee? What are you doing here?"

 _To beat the snot out of you, you lying brat._

"I've been searching for you all day, Volpina. I came here to thank you for saving the city."

"Really?"

 _Someone gag me._

"Yeah, you were totally cool. I screw up all the time, but on your first day of being a hero you save the city."

"Thanks, it's no big deal. I'm always willing to help."

"Speaking of help, would you mind giving me some pointers on being a hero?"

"Oh, well, I kin-"

"Come on Volpina, show her some of your moves," Adrien said.

"Well, I guess I could do that."

"Great, how about a little sparing? The first one to give up loses?"

 **"Volpina, take her Miraculous! This child has gotten in my way far too many times,"** Hawk Moth's disembodied voice said.

"Thanks for doing this."

"No problem, it's my pleasure."

The trio walked off the park trail into the greenery until they found a small clearing. Chloe dropped her spinning top and got into a boxing stance, while Volpina took a wide stance with both legs spread far apart and her flute above her head.

"Are you ready for this?"

"Pollen's fired up for a real fight," she said.

"Well, then here goes nothing."

Chloe charged at the other girl, ready to end the fight in one hit, but just when she reached her, Volpina simply rolled out of the way. This continued as Volina kept side-stepping Chloe's stikes.

Volpina kept dodging every attack. She watched as Chloe began to tire and start breathing harder."You're rather good, no wonder you were chosen as the Bee Miraculous holder."

Chloe girt her teeth as she began to increase her speed. Much to her annoyance, all the other girl did was put her hands behind her back and start to hum. Chloe threw another punch at Volpina, but the other girl once again sidestepped her and tripped her into the dirt.

"Well that was fun, but maybe you should take a break?" Adrien said. "I'll go and grab you two something to drink."

Chloe's heart broke when she heard her friend trying to end the fight. Queen Bee rose to her feet and brushed off the dirt. "Sorry, Mister Agreste, but this match isn't over until one of us gives up. And all my friends know I don't give up."

Queen Bee started to twirl her top around her. She launched it at Volpina only for the other girl to dodge it.

"Switching up tactics? Imp-

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted as Queen Bee's top ricocheted off of a tree back at the other girl.

Queen Bee kept launching attacks at the other girl. She ricocheted her top off of trees and kept closing the distance to give Volpina no room to breathe. Volpina stopped humming and as she had too put all of her attention into dodging.

After dodging another near-miss, Volpina leapt off the ground into the trees. "You know, for a second there I was wondering why you were chosen to be a Miraculous holder, but I can see it now."

"So what? Are you gonna run away now?"

"No, just changing tactics." Volpina vanished into the autumn leaves.

Chloe swung her top like a shield as she scanned the tree line for any trace of Volpina. Chloe turned to Adrien and gave him a big smile. "Sorry, Mister Agreste, but I don't think that you'll be able to see the rest of the fight." Queen Bee sprinted out of the clearing into the woods until she came across a small pond.

"Volpina, you can come down from wherever you're hiding. It's already over, I know that you're a fake. The kwami can sense the presence of their kind; there's no way Pollen wouldn't have been able to tell you were lying!" Queen Bee yelled out into the forest.

Chloe grit her teeth as the other girl didn't bother to acknowledge her. "You're not going to get Chat Noir and Ladybug's Miraculous. I called them and told them all about you. All of Paris is going to know that you're not a real hero," she said once again to an empty forest.

 _Think! If this keeps up she's going to win. I need an opening. I need to get her mad._

"And it's a good thing too. Now Adriekins won't waste his time on you. He can spend his time on a girl who isn't trying to steal Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses."

"Actually, he wants me to get your Miraculous too," Volpina said, whispering it into her ear.

Chloe ducked out of the way of Volpina's flute as the other girl tried to bash her head in with it. Chloe kept dodging until she stopped moving and let the illusion strike her and fade away. "Your ridiculous illusions won't work on me. Your illusions don't cast reflections, so as long as I stay by the pond you won't be able to fool be with another stupid trick."

"Are you sure about that?" Volpina leapt at her from a tree directly over the pond, displaying the lack of a reflection.

Queen Bee didn't even bother to move as the flute came down, striking her directly in the head.

Chloe was launched a few meters before tumbling onto the ground, landing in a pile of leaves. She got to her knees clutching her injured jaw and yelled, "what the heck was that?" She spat out a wad of saliva to prove to herself that the other girl hadn't managed to draw blood.

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much, Honey? I control illusions. If I can make a copy of myself I can make a fake reflection in the pond."

Chloe stood up and twirled her top. She scanned the treetops for any sign of Volpina. "You wouldn't be the first to say I talk too much, but I'm just trying to help. I mean, how can you improve if nobody points out your mistakes? You should be thanking me."

Dozens of Volpina's came launching out of the trees only to be destroyed by her top. Chloe destroyed one clone after another, but just as she was getting to the last clone she was knocked to the ground by a boot to the back.

"Okay, I take it you don't like my help, but you should be thanking me. I mean your whole relationship was based on a lie. Really you should be thanking me."

Another wave of illusionary clones came her way, but this time Queen Bee spun her top, launching the leaves on the ground into the air, dispelling the illusions. She lassoed Volpina's foot and tossed her into a tree. Before Volpina could react, Queen Bee kicked her in the gut. She grabbed Lila and tied her to the tree she crashed into.

"See, I told you she could do it," Chat said as he and Ladybug leapt out of the trees.

"Chat? What took you so long? And why is she here?"

"Firstly, I heard what you said to Adrien about not giving up and I wanted to give you a chance at beating her on your own. Secondly, Ladybug is here just to purify the Akuma."

"Whatever. I should get going; you two should be able to handle the cleanup."

"Queen Bee, you did a great job," Ladybug said. 

* * *

Chloe finished putting the last few strokes of nail polish on as Sabrina continued talking about whatever it was that she was talking about. Her eyes kept darting back to the empty dollhouse in the corner of the room.

"I have returned, my Queen," Pollen said as she flew into the room looking more worn and weary.

"Are you alright?" Chloe asked.

Pollen slowly made her way onto her favourite cushion. "Yes, I'm just a tad bit worried, my Queen."

"I thought that's why you left. To take care of something?" Sabrina asked.

"I did, Miss. Raincromprix. Now I have to face the consequences of my actions," she said. "My Queen, please call room service. I'm going to need honey cakes."

"Sure, anything else?" she asked.

"Yes, we're going to need plenty of camembert and sweets for tomorrow. My fellow kwami aren't going to be too happy with me."

 ****

 **Next Time: The Trial of Pollen**


	7. The Search

Originally, this was going to be the trail of Pollen, but then I remember that episode feed directly into the Collector so plans were changed.

 **Recap**

Chloe is growing less and less fond of Ladybug and Chat Noir

Pollen did something questionable last chapter.

Adrien stole a book from his dad, and asked Pollen to brew him some transformation potions.

Marinette lost an election to Chloe, and Tikki is trying to get her to change.

Hawk Moth is getting more and more mad every time Queen Bee gets in his way.

* * *

Marinette smiled to herself as she felt the crisp autumn breeze against her checks. For once in her life, she wasn't running late for school.

"Somebody's in a good mood," Tikki said from inside her purse.

Marinette pulled out her phone pretending to talk to someone, the last thing she needed was for people to think she talked to herself. "Well, why shouldn't I be? I'm not going to be late for school and we've got that book from Lila," Marinette said.

"Well those are good reasons to be happy, but we both know what's got you in such a good mood," she said.

"Tikki, it's not like that. Adrien just wants to meet Ladybug after school today. He wants to thank her for saving the city all the time," Marinette said.

Tikki smiled, giving her a knowing look. "Sure, that may be why he wants to meet Ladybug, but that's not why you want to. It seems like my advice paid off."

Marinette smiled. "Yeah, you were right; if I want good things to happen. I have to start fighting for what I want."

"So for right now, you're aiming for a conversation with Adrien?" she asked.

"Yeah, hopefully, once we start talking to each other he'll start to like me for me and not just as Ladybug," she said.

"Wel-

Whatever Tikki was about to say was cut off when Marinette's phone rang. Marinette frowned as she read the text on her phone.

 _Dear Miss Dupain-Cheng,_

 _I humbly request the presence of Tikki. We must discuss matters of great importance, so that we may resolve conflict before one arises. Please allow her to leave your side while you are eating lunch._

 _Thank you: Pollen_

"It looks like you're going to be busy today," Marinette said.

Tikki didn't respond. Whatever joy she had was drained out of her at the mention of her fellow kwami.

* * *

Adrien scowled at the text and put his phone back into his pocket. "It looks like Pollen wants to speak with you," he said, pushing himself further back into his seat.

"This isn't good," Plagg said.

"Why? You two seemed to be okay yesterday," he said.

"Things are really complicated between us," he said.

"Is it because she's your ex?" he asked. Adrien shouldn't have been surprised that Plagg dated, but the thought of his kwami actually being in a relationship weirded him out.

"No, it's because of who she is," he said. Plagg sighed as he fell onto Adrien's lap. "Pollen is a good person, she just has high standards. When she sees something she doesn't like, she changes it without waiting for permission or asking how other people feel about it."

"That's why you broke up. Because she wanted you to change," he said.

"Adrien, that's not important, right now. I told you she's the kwami of stillness. She waits and watches for her time to strike. She'll wait and manipulate you into getting her way. If Pollen is making a move, it's either to get us to act the way she wants or it's to reveal her master plan," he said.

"So we have to be on our guard?" he asked.

"I'll tell you when I get back from whatever scheme she's planning," he said.

"I guess that means it's up to me to fix my problem while you deal with Pollen," he said.

* * *

"I know this is super important, but do you really have to do this? " Chloe asked, as she emptied out her locker onto a borrowed chair.

"My Queen, it can't be helped, this is the only place we can meet and discuss our problems. If we don't do this now things could get out of hand," she said.

"I know, but this seems a bit extreme," she said eyeing the box with disgust. "This cheese is going to stink up my locker for the whole year."

"Yes, but camembert is Plagg's favourite, and starting off with a peace offering will hopefully make things less tense," she said.

"This doesn't make any sense, he's the cat kwami, why does he like cheese? Shouldn't that be the mouse kwami's thing? At Least the ladybug kwami likes cookies," she said, placing the box of food in her now empty locker.

"My Queen, just because we look like those animals don't mean we share all the same traits," she said.

"Yeah, well have fun. Oh, and if you need some backup text me and come and yell at those idiots," she said.

Pollen smiled at her ward. "Thank you, my Queen, but someone may find it odd if you are seen yelling in your locker. I'm sure I can handle my fellow kwami; this isn't the first time the three of us have been in conflict with one another."

Chloe nodded, closing the door on her partner. She sighed, turning to the large pile of clothes. "Well, looks like you're going in backup locker 6."

* * *

Plagg phased through the ceiling into the dust-covered vent.

"This was a terrible place to meet," Tikki said.

"Well it's not like we had much of a choice on where we meet, Pollen's expecting us any minute now," he said in a hushed voice.

"We need a game plan. Pollen's got something up her sleeve, and we have to figure out what it is," Tikki said.

"It's either to get us to back off and let her keep Chloe as her partner, or it's to manipulate us into doing whatever she wants us to do," Plagg said.

"Nothing's changed, Chloe hasn't improved, and Ladybug won't fight without Chat Noir," she said.

"So that means she wants to get us to do something," Plagg said bitterly. Tikki tried to comfort him, but he simply moved aside. "We should get going. We don't want to keep Pollen waiting," he said.

"Okay, just remember to stay on your toes," Tikki said.

* * *

Chloe frowned as she and Sabrina made their way over to Adrien's table in the cafeteria. Much to her displeasure he was once again sitting next to Nino, Dupain-Cheng, and Ayla. "Adrikins, I know we promised to spend more time at school together, but this isn't what I had in mind," Chloe said, forcing herself in between Marinette and Adrien.

"Thanks for coming guys. I have a big problem and I need you all to help. Yesterday, I took a book from my dad's office and brought it to school. Unfortunately, I lost it. When I went home last night he asked what I did with the book. I lied and told him that I left it in school. If I don't get that book back he's going to pull me out of school," Adrien said.

"Don't worry, Adrikins, I'll find that book for you, no problem," Chloe said.

"Yeah, dude, we're totally here for you," Nino piped in.

"Thanks, you guys. I think we should pair up and search the school. Nino and I'll search the classes we have together. Chloe and Sabrina, you guys search the roof, janitor's office, and the principal's office."

"Wait, why do I have to search the janitor's office? That place has got to be gross," Chloe asked.

Adrein sighed. "Chloe, all those places are places students aren't allowed to go. If anyone can get in there and look for the book it's you. Anyway, Ayla and Marinette, can guys search the library and lost and found. The book we're looking for is an old leather-bound book filled with ancient superheroes written in an unknown language. Good luck, and thanks again for helping," he said before they all departed.

* * *

Tikki and Plagg phased through the roof of Chloe's locker, descending into the dark chamber. The only light came from the slits in the locker door and the light from Pollen's phone.

"Hello my friends, I hope this wasn't too much of an inconvenience for you," she said. "Since we will be meeting for lunch, I took the liberty of preparing a small meal for you."

Tikki frowned, eyeing the other kwami with suspicion. "Thanks, but I think we should focus on work first and eat later."

"Very well, but I just wanted us to talk first. It's been so long since we've gotten out of that horrible box. I thought it we could talk as friends," she said, as Plagg helped himself to the camembert.

Pollen flew down to Plagg and helped herself to one of the honey tarts she had. Pollen looked up at Tikki. "Won't you come and join us?" Pollen asked before she began to eat.

 _Of course, you'd use Plagg's gluttony against us._

Tikki didn't respond: she just flew down next to them and helped herself to a caramel chocolate chip cookie. "We can talk while we eat."

"Fair enough, I've gathered you all here try and resolve our partners' grievances with one another," she said.

"Oh, and here I thought we were going to discuss the other Miraculous," Plagg said, narrowing his eyes.

Pollen was self-aware enough to blush at the comment. "I presume you aren't referring to Fluff also being out of the box."

"I sensed his presence," Plagg said.

"I had to take precautions in case our meeting didn't go as planned," she said.

"Is that how you justify handing Trixx over to her?" he said. "You of above anyone else should know the dangers of giving a Miraculous to a girl like her."

Pollen glared at him. "Looking past my previous mistakes, Trixx agreed to help me," she said.

"It's still dangerous," he said.

"When I looked back at the situation, I realized it wouldn't have been as bad had Hawk Moth not been involved. If the girl had Trixx, he would have been able to free himself as soon as he deemed her unworthy.

"You still gave Trixx to a girl who can't be trusted," he said.

"She's a fifteen-year-old girl, not a psychopath. I'm sure Trixx can handle Lila Rossi."

* * *

Adrien and Nino rushed through the halls, running from classroom to classroom, searching for his lost book.

"Dude, slow down. We'll find that book," Nino said, trying to keep pace with his friend.

"Nino, we've already searched every class I take, and we still haven't found the book. If we don't get that book back I'm dead!" Adrien said. "I stole that book from my dad. Even if I find that book he might still pull me out of school."

"If the book was so important, why did you take it?" Nino asked.

"I didn't mean to. I was curious about what my dad was hiding. I was going to return it, but Nathalie came into the room so I stuffed it into my bag. It's just I'm tired of being jerked by people."

Nino put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry. We'll get that book back. Where was the last place you saw it?"

"I was in the library, talking to Lila, but I had to leave for fencing," he said.

 _Crap, Lila! I have to talk to her about Volpina._

"Great, this totally helps narrow it down. You had the book at five o'clock yesterday. We should check the gym and ask Mr. D'argencourt about the book."

* * *

"So, are you going to tell me what's upsetting you or not?" Ayla asked as the two girls walked through the library.

"Whaaa. There's nothing going on. I'm just really worried about Adrien," Marinette said.

"Sure, that's why you look like you killed someone. Marinette, I have eyes you know. Ever since Adrien mentioned the book you looked really guilty," she said.

"I don't know anything about the book," she said, unwilling to look her friend in the eye.

Ayla frowned, looking at her friend. "Marinette, please tell me you didn't let your crush on Adrien get the better of you. Please tell me you didn't take the book?"

Marinette looked at her friend. Without Tikki to confide in Marinette found it harder to keep her secrets. She hadn't realized how much she used her kwami as a sounding board and secret keeper.

"I didn't take the book, Lila did. She took the book from Adrien and threw it into the trash. I just took it from the trash," she whispered.

"Why would Lila take it from Adrien? And why do you have it?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I can't give the book back," she said.

"What do you mean you can't give it back? Marinette, if you don't give the book back Adrien's going to be pulled out of school," she said.

"I can't give back the book because I promised to give the book to Ladybug," she said.

"Ladybug? Why does she need the book?" she asked.

"I told Ladybug about the book and she thinks it might be their first lead on Hawk Moth," she said.

"Well, what are you going to do if you give the book to Ladybug? She could take down Hawk Moth, but if you don't give the book to Adrien his dad's going to pull him out of school."

"I don't know."

* * *

Chloe and Sabrina walked through the halls while Chloe ate her sandwich.

"Um, Chloe? Shouldn't you be a little bit more worried? What if Adrien's dad pulls him out of school?" Sabrina asked.

"Psh, relax. Everything is going to be okay," Chloe said.

"How can you be so sure about this? I mean what if we can't get his dad's book back?"

Chloe laughed until she nearly choked on her sandwich. "I'll handle this."

"Chloe, what did you do?" she asked, eyeing her friend.

"I didn't do a thing. I just know who made that book," she said, returning to her sandwich. "Worst-case scenario we give Mr. Agreste a new one."

"Wait, you know who made that book?" she asked.

Chloe smiled and began to speak in a haughty tone. "Sabrina, think for a second. Who do you think could have written that book? It's a book written in an unknown language, about kwami, and it has notes about their powers and how to upgrade them. There's only one person I know who would do something like that. Pollen obviously made the book. I bet she made copies and has them stashed all over the place."

"Oh, I guess that means we have nothing to worry about then," Sabrina said, sounding disappointed.

"Yep, I'll sit by doing nothing and swoop in and save the day," she said.

* * *

"You did what? Pollen, Ladybug and the Guardian want you to return to the box and now that you've given Lila a Miraculous I'm going to have to tell Ladybug about it," Tikki said.

"It will be fine: Trixx can free himself, and if worse comes to worst, my Queen and I can defeat her," Pollen said.

Plagg sighed and glared at her. "It's not Ladybug I'm worried about. Pollen, did you even consider Fu's feelings in all this? He's already lost so many Miraculouses he must be going off the wall looking for you?"

"You both may be my elders, but that doesn't give either of you the right to control me. Hawk Moth needs to be defeated and Miss Rossi can help," she said. "I left the box so I could help retrieve Nooroo. This girl will be a major asset in ending this conflict," she fired back.

"Pollen, don't try and hide what you're doing. I was there when you were talking to Chloe about needing help. You took Trixx because he's the only kwami that can take you down- that Fu has," he said.

"No, I did it because I saw a girl who hates herself and lies about everything she is because she thinks she isn't good enough. I haven't changed. I'm still trying to help broken people," Pollen said.

Tikki sighed glaring at her fellow Kwami. "Or you did it to show how much better Chloe is than Lila, but either way it doesn't matter what your motives are. We're not playing your games, Pollen."

"All of this arguing is avoiding one simple fact. Miss Rossi has a Miraculous now. If either of you tries to forcibly take away her Miraculous she'll get akumatized. And if she does get akumatized even all three of us working together would be incapable of stopping Trixx."

Both kwamis glared at Pollen as she went back to her eating. "Oh, and one final thing, I've done what Mr. Agreste asked and I've made the transformation potions."

"Wait what potions?" Tikki asked.

* * *

Chloe's phone rang as the police spotted a supervillain attacking the city. Chloe looked at Sabrina who was checking the same alert on her phone. They gave each other a curt nod as Chloe rushed toward the exit and began texting Pollen.

 _Meet me on the roof. It's time to kick butt._

Queen Bee flew across the streets of Paris towards the Louvre. When she arrived, the police had already sectioned off the art gallery. Sabrina's father was coordinating the officers around him. Chloe smiled as she flipped and landed dramatically onto a police car. She turned to Sabrina's father and gave him a friendly smile. "Queen Bee, reporting for duty, sir."

Mr. Raincomprix looked at her for a moment before he started to glare at her. "I know who you are."

Chloe's smiled faltered. Of course, if her father hated Queen Bee because of her vigilantism, the chief of police probably was the one to put that idea in his head. "What are we dealing with here?"

He glared at her before saying, "I am containing this scene until Ladybug and Chat Noir get here, and you are going to leave while it's still your choice."

"Sir, I'm just trying to help, and if you don't tell what I'm dealing with I will just go into the Louvre without your help," she said.

"You expect us to help you after you caused the entire city's crime rate to spike? Because of your actions, you caused criminals to flee from the worst parts of the city and set up shop all over. Now half the force is working overtime to contain this mess. We're understaffed, overworked, and criminal behavior is totally unpredictable. The only reason I haven't put you in cuffs right now is that you're just some kid."

It might not have come from her own father, but hearing Sabrina's dad say such cruel things hurt a lot more than it should. Without saying a word, Chloe leapt from the police car and ran into the building.

Queen Bee spotted the villain as he absorbed a painting into his book. He was wearing a tackey black and white spandex suit with a stupid red visor. Whoever Hawk Moth was, he obviously didn't have a sense of style.

 _His book can absorb anything it touches. One hit and I'm done._

Queen Bee got into a boxing stance and charged at the villain throwing a few jabs at him, but every time she would try and hit him he'd simply shield himself with the book.

"I don't know what you've done, but Hawk Moth seems to have a vendetta against you. I can hear his voice yelling out to beat you and take your Miraculous," he said.

"Oh, that might be because I've beaten like six of his bad guys single-handedly," she said.

"Oh, Hawk Moth hates you, but it's not because you're a threat to his plans; he hates you because you don't belong," he said. "This entire war is about him seizing Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses. You're some nobody who has no part in this battle that you're forcing yourself into. Luckily for him, the Collector will end your troublesome interference in his mission."

"To be fair, I've been forcing myself into other people's business for years, Hawky just needs to get over himself," she said dodging another attack.

The two continued to battle with neither making any headway.

 _I can't keep this up forever. I need to do something._

Queen Bee leaned back to dodge a hit from his book. While his book was above her, Queen Bee grabbed the cover of the book and yanked it free of the Collector's grasp.

"Ha, let's see how well you fight without this," she said, waving the book in his face. Queen Bee grabbed the thread of her spinning top and wrapped it around the books cover, sealing it shut.

The two began to fight again, but it seemed like without the book the Collector was actually better. His punches were fast and well placed. One attack quickly lead into a vicious chain of attacks. The Collector didn't stop pummeling her until he delivered a punch directly to her face.

Chloe tried to get back up, but the spinning in her head wouldn't stop. It was hard to tell what hurt worse, the Collector's punch or Volpina's flute. Chloe felt her Miraculous heat up as she got back up to her feet.

Before the two could begin to fight again, the Collector was lassoed into a wall.

"Didn't anyone teach you that's not how you're supposed to treat a lady?" Ladybug said.

"Aw, I wanted to say the catchy one-liner this time, bugaboo," Chat said.

 _Great, these two Idiots._

"Ladybug and Chat Noir, what a wonderful surprise seeing you two here," he said. The Collector got to his feet and raised his hand. In an instant, the book he was using flew off the ground and into his hands.

"Watch out, that book that he's got lets him capture things," Queen Bee said.

"What's the plan, m'lady?" he asked.

"The plan's simple, all we need to do..."

"Is to sit back and let Queen Bee handle this," Chloe said.

Ladybug scowled at the other girl. "We're not sitting back while you fight this guy."

"It's not like I haven't beaten bad guys in the past without you two," she said.

"Queenie, we let you fight Volpina on your own because you really wanted to. This is different though, we need to start working as a team," he said.

Chloe ran towards the Collector, ready to finish the fight. This time their battle was very different as the two other heroes forced the Collector to leap off of the walls to attack them. Every time Chloe tried to throw a punch, Chat Noir or Ladybug would get in her way.

"Watch out!" she yelled as she avoided crashing into Ladybug. "Will you two stop getting in my way? I can handle this on my own."

* * *

Chat watched as the two girls kept almost hitting one another. The Collector was playing with them. He wasn't attacking them; he was trying to get them mad at each other. He was trying to get them to make a mistake. Adrien thought of what Plagg might say in this situation.

 _If these two keep fighting they're going to get themselves tossed into the book. Adrien, you need to take the lead; neither girl is going to start working together._

Chat leapt in front of both girls and swung his staff at them.

"Hey, what the heck, Alleycat?"

"Chat?"

"Listen up, both of you stay back and try and attack while I keep him busy," he said.

"If I wasn't going to let Ladybug get in my way do you really think I'll let you?" she said.

Chat glared at her, forcing the other girl to stop. "You two are going to get hurt if you two keep this up. Your teamwork sucks, your weapons aren't good in close-quarters fighting, and all it's doing is making you two mad. Sooner or later the Collector is going to get both of you if this keeps up. You two need to calm down and let me handle this."

Chat pulled out his other baton and began to battle the villain. His baton kept the Collector at bay and let him avoid losing one of his weapons. Every time the Collector tried to collect his baton he collapsed it with a press of the button.

Adrien began to smile as they began a weird fencing match. A lot of the fighting consisted of the two of them feinting and parrying the other's attack. As much fun as he was having, he knew he couldn't keep this up forever.

The others tried by getting in his blindspot but he'd simply use their attacks to create some distance with him. Whoever the Collector is, he's a master of reading people. Every time they'd reengage Chat would always be the one on the defensive.

"You can't keep this up forever, boy," he said.

"Don't underestimate me. I've taken down plenty of villains on my own," Chat said.

"Oh, please. You're Ladybugs' sidekick a sad lost little kitten that she took pity on," he said.

The two were split apart by Ladybug's yo-yo. "Don't listen to a word he says, Chat."

The boy laughed. "If you're going to try and get in my head you might want to try harder. I love being Chat Noir. I love being a hero. And I love helping Ladybug. If you think me playing second fiddle bothers me you don't know a thing about me."

Chat broke one of his batons into two and began to fight the villain. This time he juggled his weapons as they fought. The first baton was absorbed by the book; the second knocked the book out of his hands, disarming them both, and the third was used to knock the villain back.

Queen Bee didn't need to be told what to do, once the book was out of his hands she leapt at it and ripped it to shreds.

A purple butterfly flew from its pages, getting a few feet off the ground before Ladybug's yo-yo caught and purified it.

Chat's smile faded on his face as he rushed past his partner towards the former villain. "Mr. Agreste, are you all right?" he asked, kneeling down in front of his father.

"Y-yes, yes, I'm just a bit woozy," he said, as Chat Noir helped him to his feet. "Thank you all for helping me."

Ladybug grimaced as she approached Adrien's father. "Excuse me, Mr. Agreste, but how did you get akumatized?"

He looked down with a bit of shame and regret. "I was mad at my son for losing a book that I got from my wife."

Chat smiled at him. "I'm sorry your son did that, but he really does care for you. On my way here, I saw him in the crowd."

* * *

Chat Noir exited the Louvre and ran towards an alley before he transformed back into his civilian identity. As he arrived at the museum he saw his father giving a statement to the police. Adrien rushed to his father giving him a hug. "I'm so glad you're alright. I came down here when I saw you were akumatized," he said.

Before his father could respond, he scowled ever so slightly as they heard. "Mr. Agreste, Mr. Agreste, I came when I heard you were in trouble," Chloe said as she gave the man a hug. "Thank goodness you're alright."

Gabriel coughed as he removed the girl from his personal space. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm perfectly fine. As for being in trouble, shouldn't you two be in school?"

"School? How could we think about school when you got taken over by a supervillain!" she said. "You know how much you and Mrs. Agreste mean to me."

"Yes, while this may be the case. I will have Nathalie take you back to school."

* * *

Chloe slammed the rooftop door shut, as her kwami flew from her bag.

"I take it you had an eventful day today, my Queen," she said.

"Yeah, I need you to give me another copy of that book you made," Chloe said.

Pollen grimaced at the mention of the book. "My Queen, I only ever made one copy of the book."

Chloe scrunched up her face. "Then I need you to make another. Adrien lost the book and without it, he's going to get kicked out of school."

"I-I can't. Chloe, there is a reason I wanted that book out of my sight as quickly as possible. That book brings back painful memories," she said, turning away from her ward.

"Pollen, whatever's going on needs to be put on hold. Adrien will get pulled out of school if I don't give him the book!"

"I can't! My Queen, that book brings back painful memories. If I try to recreate that book I will be akumatized. I didn't make the book willingly; I was forced to," Pollen screamed.

Chloe stepped back hearing her kwami yell at her. "That book you created was for the evil Miraculous bearer? The one that caused you to freak out when Darkblade tried to mind control us?"

Pollen nodded before she flew into Chloe's school bag.

Before Chloe could respond Pollen interrupted her, "We've got training to do."

* * *

Adrien walked out of the gym towards his home. The orange hues of the afternoon sky tinted the world in a warm haze as the cold autumn air left him feeling small and hollow.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. A smile graced his face as he saw a photo of he and his friends eating lunch together. A part of him wanted to call his friends and say goodbye, but he couldn't do that. He doubted he could get through a single call before he started to cry. He couldn't make his friends worry about him.

Adrien wondered what would become of his life without school. He shuddered, remembering how things had been before he went to school. He would spend his days with tutors, whom if he were lucky, would try and spice the material up. His only companionship would once again be Chloe when she would come over.

If he were lucky he would be able to keep his phone. Nino would still be able to recommend songs for him to listen to. Ayla would be willing to talk heroes with him. And Marinette might still be able to make him laugh.

Adrien's thoughts drifted to Plagg. Would he still be Chat Noir? If his father kept a closer eye on him he doubted he could actually be a hero. All the hope he'd been gathering washed away with that thought. If he couldn't be Chat Noir.

The thought broke him releasing a flood of emotions. Tears streamed down face. He felt like he was being choked as he gasped for air.

"Adrien, are you alright?"

Ladybug stood there as if she had been summoned by his despair, with a worried expression etched on her face. Adrien rushed at her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry. I-I can't see you anymore. He's, he's going to take me away," he said.

"Adrien, breathe, everything's going to be alright," she said, pulling him to a nearby bench.

Adrien tried to rip himself free from her grasp. "N-no, I screwed up. I lost a gift my mom gave to my dad, and without it, he's going to pull me out of school."

"I know. That's why I'm here. Lila Rossi stole that book from you. I managed to pull it from the trash bin she tossed it into. I came here to return it," she said.

Adrien looked up at her. The sun cast a halo of light around her as she smiled, handing him the book. Adrien hugged her as new tears came. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he said.

Ladybug blushed as she hugged him. A part of her wanted to end the hug, but she remembered Tikki's words: she had to start fighting for what she wanted. Marinette wrapped her arms around him, tightening their embrace. "Adrien, I'd do anything for you."

The boy blushed as he began to dry his tears. "I guess I should get this to my dad," he said.

"W-would you mind if I walked with you?" she asked.

"Of course, I mean we did plan on hanging out today," he said, as the two walked along the road. Adrien reached out for Ladybug's hand. Ever since his mom had left he had been relying on the thought of her memory to keep him warm, but here with Ladybug's hand in his, he didn't need a memory to keep him warm.

* * *

 **1 hour ago**

Marinette paced back and forth in the girl's washroom.

"Calm down, Marinette, everything will be fine," Tikki said.

"Tikki, I can't calm down. Adrien went home without the book! When his dad finds out that he doesn't have it he's going to be so mad," she said.

"Well what are you planning on doing?" she asked.

Marinette looked sick to her stomach. "If I keep the book Adrien is going to spend the rest of his life trapped in his house, but if I give him the book we might lose our biggest clue to finding Hawk Moth. Adrien doesn't deserve to be looked up because I took his book, but is it fair for me to put all of Paris at risk, so he can go to school?"

Tikki nodded and said, "So what's it going to be? Your duty to Paris or your duty to your friendship?"

Marinette grimaced as if the decision was causing her physical pain and quickly said, "Adrien, I can't do that to him."

Tikki smiled and patted her partner on the shoulder. "I'm glad you chose that. I know of a few people who would put the needs of the many before the needs of the few. When they do so, they tend to lose sight of the individual cost. Stopping Hawk Moth is important, but you can't lose sight of why you're fighting him."

Marinette smiled. "I guess all that's left to do is to get the book back from Master Fu. It's a shame we won't be able to learn those spells."

"Oh that spellbook isn't important anymore," she said.

* * *

Adrien sat in his room as Plagg drank the last potion. "Ready?"

Plagg glared at him with a look worse for wear. "Yeah, I just wished these things didn't taste like feet sweat and chalk, but then again Polly was never much of a chef."

He transformed again, this time into a Chat Noir with ice skates then quickly transformed back to his normal self. "Wow, that seems really harsh. She did go out of her way to make these potions. I know she's your ex, but you could try to treat her more nicely. I mean because of her Ladybug returned the book to me."

"Adrien, you wouldn't understand."

"Try. What's so hard about your relationship?"

"It's hard to be in a relationship when you're questioning the feelings you have for someone are your feelings or if you're being manipulated into feeling them."

* * *

In a small room in an apartment building on the east end of Paris, a girl sat in the dark watching her necklace intently. She flicked the thing to try and muster some sort of reaction, but nothing happened.

"Come on out Trixx, you can't stay in there forever," she said.


	8. Taking requests

**Important!**

I've got 1 free chapter before the start of the finale to the first act of this story, so I'm taking requests.


End file.
